Naruto Effect
by thedormin
Summary: A crash landing on a formally unexplored distant world leads the crew of the Normandy into meeting a certain shinobi and sets forth a chain of events that will change the universe forever. Takes place during Mass Effect 2's timeline.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto Effect

Chapter 1

* * *

Jane Shepard sat quietly in the shuttle as they descended towards the unknown planet. Across from her were Garrus and Tali, the latter whom they just met up with and got to sign onto their cause against the Collector's. It was a welcome change for Shepard after her failed reunion with Ashley Williams on Horizon after the Collector's made off with half the colony. Now they find themselves heading to a previously unexplored world following a Geth signal that EDI picked up. From what EDI could tell from the signal the Geth have been there for at least a few months. The last thing anyone needed was the Geth to be setting up a beachhead on a planet especially with the Collector's on the move. It also helped that killing Geth was always a good way to let off some steam. Arriving at the planet it amazed most of the Human crew how close to Earth this planet was despite differences in continents and a strange energy field.

"Still thinking about Horizon?" Garrus asked Shepard, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"I just don't like how things ended Garrus, that's all. I would have guessed that Ash would have been the first to join up for the fight and not just walk away like that."

"She was your best friend Shepard", came from Tali, "of course she would feel betrayed especially once she heard the name Cerberus. I was even shocked when I first ran into you with those operatives"

"But at least you and Garrus listened to me. She just shut right down. You were there Garrus..."

"Williams always had a temper. We all knew that. Just give it some time and maybe she'll come around or at least start talking to you again." came from Garrus.

"Maybe you're rig..." but Shepard wasn't able to finish her comment as their shuttle suddenly was rocked and falling very fast.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED" Shepard yelled at the randomly assigned shuttle pilot.

"We hit a massive EM field commander" replied the pilot "Hang on, we're going down hard and fast"

"This isn't exactly what I signed up for Shepard" came from Tali as they could see from the side windows the ground getting closer and closer very fast.

"I should have stayed on Omega" was the last thing they could hear from Garrus in his spot on the shuttle.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto took a second to check his surroundings from a tree branch during his patrol. Three years have passed since his final fight with Sasuke and Madara with the former joining his side to help fight the latter after the elder Uchiha turned Sasuke. Since then things began to really calm down in the shinobi world with most of the major nations enjoying fairly peaceful relations. However, that doesn't mean that Naruto's life got easier, not by a long shot. Two months after the defeat of Madara, Tsunade recovered from her coma and Kakashi turned Hokage duties back to her. Looking back on it Naruto knew it made sense – His commander was a good War-time leader but had no real ability to deal with day-to-day politics and dealings. With that came Naruto's promotion to Chunin though many figured he should be at least promoted to Jonin but he's come to learn his being held back is more politics than a reflection on his skill. Those politics mostly stemming from the growing hostility via the Hyuuga clan after Naruto and Hinata's friendship soured. Naruto hated losing his friend but he just couldn't return her feelings and she just couldn't accept that and now it seemed her whole family (with the exception of Neji) and clan had it in for him. _It never ends_ he thought to himself about his complicated relationships with people. Along with that his friendship with Kiba and Shino also fell apart although he couldn't blame them, they were supporting their team-mate and that's something that he couldn't hold against him after all the crap he went through with Sasuke.

Of course that didn't even scratch the surface for his and Sakura's relationship. Friends, companions, lovers and more could easily be used when describing the two of them even though he himself had no clue what they were. Of course now isn't the time to think about that since the 'One Eyes' came from the sky 6 months ago. People started seeing more and more of their sky ships in and around Earth country until 2 months ago when the Iwa stopped sending out trade caravans. Now there's been nothing except sighting of more and more of the One Eyes. That's why Naruto and his team is out on patrol today – hoping that the One Eyes have not made their way into Fire country.

His musings ceased as he was nearly knocked out of his tree as something raced over his head and crashed into the ground.

"That one nearly got me" he said to no one but himself.

Looking down he could see the path of destruction that whatever it was carved into the ground as it came to a stop. He knew this is worth checking out and where before he'd just go, now that he's 19, Naruto knew enough to at least tell the rest of his squad, all of whom were spread out to increase the range of their patrol what he was up to.

Strangely enough he was beaten to the punch as his short range radio went off with the voice of his commander

"Anyone seen what that was that came down?"

"It nearly took my head off as it went over my head Kakashi-Sensei. It's fairly close to me so I'll check it out" he replied into his radio

"But you're ok?" came a female voice over the radio

"Yes Sakura-chan, I'm fine" Naruto replied in a jokingly and sarcastic tone

"I was only asking. Geez Naruto don't be such a baka." she replied in annoyance

"Enough of the chatter. Naruto, you go in and observe but do not engage or interact with anything there. We'll move in to join you and evaluate the situation once we're all there"

"That means you don't do anything stupid, dickless"

"Hai Hai, Kakashi-Sensei and fuck you Sai" was the response as Naruto began to move to check out the crash site.

* * *

When Shepard came to she learned something new – the old saying "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one" was a crock of shit. At least she didn't seem injured herself though their shuttle was trashed and she could only hope that everyone else was ok. Pulling herself up from the floor of the wrecked ship she managed to get herself outside to look into the pilot's compartment and saw that their shuttle pilot was dead.

"Everyone ok?" she stated hoping to hear a reply from inside the ship.

"I really should have stayed on Omega" came from Garrus who looked none the worse for wear as he sat up.

"Tali?" when there was no response Shepard asked again "Tali, you ok?"

"No…" came a weak reply as Shepard and Garrus moved to where they heard it from back in the ship.

As the pair found her they could see it wasn't a good situation at all. Tali was inside on the shuttle floor and holding her side as Shepard could see Tali's suit has been damaged.

"She won't last long with a suit breach like that Shepard."

"Then we got to get it fixed before it gets too late!"

Unbeknown to the crash survivors they were being watched by someone nearby in the trees.

* * *

By the time Naruto arrived at the site he could see someone moving about. Hiding in the tree he wondered why they couldn't sense him coming in; much less sense him being this close now. Whatever it was they traveled in, wasn't anything that matched the descriptions of what the One Eyes used – this transport was white in color and rectangular in shape. He then saw someone get out of the ship. It was a woman with red hair in a short pony tail wearing strange dark color armor. From what he could tell she seemed to speak the language of the people overseas as she appeared to be checking on the other occupants. That was when he got a major shock as he saw a big grey skin…creature…get out and move about. Naruto generally didn't judge one by their looks but he would admit that the big creature's look freaked him out a bit.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed the two started to panic, talking about someone else there being hurt. Naruto knew his orders were clear to not do anything and wait until the rest of the team arrived but at the same time he knew these were not One Eyes. They were people and if someone was hurt and he could help he knew he couldn't just sit by in case someone was dying and he could save them. Biting his lip Naruto just hoped that his squad, not to mention Baa-chan when he got back to the village, wouldn't get too mad at him for breaking orders as he moved towards the site.

* * *

Pumping her full of all the Medi-Gel and pretty much anything else they could find Shepard and Garrus knew that Tali was still in trouble. Had it been a minor breach they knew she'd be out of it but safe as the safety measures that Quarians had would have done their job but given this damage, her immune system couldn't handle the exposure. They needed to get her back to the Normandy and fast.

"Joker, we need the other shuttle down here now" Shepard shouted into her Comm unit, "and we lost our pilot in the crash."

"Miranda and Mordin are working on getting the other shuttle ready but it will take a while to adapt it to the EM field, you're going to be on your own for a while" Joker reported

She didn't like the sound of that. Tali didn't have long and every second counted. As Shepard got up and turned around she saw a blonde haired boy in an orange and black suit with a red cloak walking towards her. Not knowing if he was friend of foe she wouldn't take the chance and went for her pistol and directed it towards him. Hearing the noise, Garrus looked at Shepard and also saw the boy and followed her lead by grabbing his gun and aiming it at the intruder. To his credit, the kid did the smart thing by raising both his arms in the air.

"Commander, you still there?"

"Hold on Joker, we've got a local," was Shepard's reply before taking her hand away from the communicator and steadying her gun. Looking at the 'local', she knew she had to figure out his intentions but it seemed he was already going to open the lines of communication.

"umm….hi?" was what the kid said to them. Omni-tools translators kicking in, Shepard was at least happy that they would be able to talk since the kid spoke what seemed to be a variant of Japanese. Last thing they needed was a gunfight given Tali's condition.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Shepard questioned.

"My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. I saw you guys fall from the sky and was checking if you were the One eyes. Are you guys alright?" was what this 'Naruto' said.

Shepard watched him carefully and saw he seemed to be unarmed. Still, she was curious if 'One eyes' meant Geth… A cough from behind reminded her that time was of the essence.

"We've got an injured squad member and she's going to die, so I'm lowering my weapon since you're clearly not a threat." Shepard stated, "Garrus, I don't think he'll hurt us".

"You better be right Shepard, I don't feel like getting shot up again".

Naruto watched and knew they were speaking another language but he was still able to understand them clearly. It was odd and he wondered if that orange light he saw on their arms had something to do with it. What was important was that someone was hurt and they needed help.

"I'm Commander Jane Shepard of the Normandy by the way," the woman then said to him "and this is Garrus Vakarian," she gestured at the taller creature who just nodded at Naruto.

"You said someone was hurt right? There's a medic in my squad so she should be able to help as soon as she gets here" Naruto said. He knew he was giving up a bit of information but at this point they needed help and he knew they were not of another Shinobi village.

"You wouldn't happen to have any first-aid equipment on you" he was asked by female who clearly was the leader.

"A little and I know one healing jutsu that I can use to help if need be"

"Healing Jutsu?" asked the one he was told was Garrus

"Ya. I take it you don't know anything about Jutsu's or Chakra or anything right?"

"Ummm…that would be a no but if you can help till your medic arrives then we'll take it" the woman named Jane Shepard stated and then gestured that he should follow into their crashed transport. Upon entering Naruto saw another girl, in strange armor, sitting on the floor, clutching her side and in a dire condition. Without even asking he reached for his radio to signal his squad.

"Sakura-chan, we need you here ASAP. We've got a Medical emergency"

With just a look to Garrus both he and Shepard activated their Omni-tools and, rather easily, patched into the radio frequency this Naruto was using to listen in. She didn't think he would cause trouble but who knows who he was talking to.

"Naruto! You were ordered to observe and not engage…" came an older male voice that Shepard guessed was Naruto's squad leader.

"They're not One Eyes, they're people and one of them is badly hurt…." was Naruto's reply "...I won't sit back and watch someone die if I can help them." Naruto shouted back. _Good intentions, Naïve but still his heart is in the right place_ Shepard thought to herself at his reply. She knew that disobeying orders would probably be bad for him given that she herself would not stand for it but she also hoped that whoever his commander was would understand the situation and not be too hard on him.

"Don't do anything stupid Naruto, I'll be there in two minutes" came now the voice of a girl. Shepard could tell she sounded young, probably in the age range as Naruto. Still, given Tali's condition two minutes might be too late.

"Hai Hai Sakura-chan"

Turning towards Tali she could see Garrus checking on her with what best could be a concerned look on his face

"She's not doing well" he said, "I don't think she'll last."

"Stand back, I'm going to try to put a bit of Chakra into her till Sakura-chan gets here. I hope it'll help keep her alive" Naruto said/asked.

"Tali, help is on its way but this boy is going to try to do something in the meantime, ok?" Shepard asked her downed team member

"ok" was the weak reply they got.

Leaning down Naruto could see that he'd need to use something more than normal chakra to do the job given his own still shotty chakra control. Looking down at this 'Tali' he saw where the problem was and put both hands by the hole in her suit.

"Hang on Tali-chan." He said to her, "You're not going to die today, promise of a lifetime"

Closing his eyes he began to concentrate, focusing and then tapping into the world around him. Shepard and Garrus, along with near delirious Tali, watched as Naruto's hands started to glow and could see Tali react to this. Instead of it being bad, they could tell via their Omni-tools that her vitals, while extremely weak, were stabilizing.

"How?" asked Shepard

"I'll tell you later," Naruto said "but for now just keep an eye open for my team, they're very close now."

Time seemed to move slowly and Naruto just kept hold the Chakra but even using his Sage mode he was reaching his limit. It didn't escape any of the off worlders that the boy's eye color had changed from blue to yellow.

Shepard heard movement behind and turned quickly, drawing her gun on instinct but seeing a man with grey-white hair, a pale younger man and a girl with pink hair. She could have sworn she heard the man mutter "Kushina?" but maybe she was hearing things.

"I take it you're Naruto's team?" she asked as she lowered her weapon, ignoring the comment.

"Yes, and I take it you're the people he's helping?" was the reply

"That's us, but time is short so could your medic help out Tali..."

Kakashi could see the faint glow from inside their…transport. Obviously that's why Naruto wasn't waiting for them and clearly he was off helping another person yet again. _That boy will be the death of me one of these days…_he thought to himself.

"Sakura, go – do what you can" as the girl nodded and went into the shuttle. Turning back to Shepard the man bowed before her.

"I'm Hakate Kakashi, this is Sai. The girl who went in is Haruno Sakura and I believe you've already met Naruto." as he finished his introductions

"Commander Jane Shepard, that's Garrus Vakarian." Sheppard said in reply back to the man. As far as "first contact" situations went, this one was going well and better than expected.

"So, I'd say welcome to fire country but clearly you're not here by choice" Kakashi said trying to lighten the mood. He knew things were tense and these strangers were clearly on edge. Of course Kakashi wasn't going to let on how the sight of that Garrus caught him completely off guard.

"Well ,whatever the Electro Magnetic Field around your country is it completely messed up our systems.." she started but then said "..and you have no clue what I'm talking about do you?"

"None what so ever!" he replied in a very happy voice with his one visible eye closed. He then changed his demeanor completely. "Sakura is one of the best medics we have; she should be able to help your friend especially since she's got Naruto with her in there as well.

With a sigh Shepard just hoped that this medic that went into the shuttle would about to start chanting in Voodoo or something along those lines…

* * *

Entering the strange craft Sakura could see Naruto crouched over someone in a full suit with his hands glowing over a spot where there was an obvious hole.

"See, told ya help was coming Tali-chan. Sakura-chan will heal you up in no time, she's the best" she heard Naruto say to this Tali person. Reaching closer she could see that Tali was not human, she had claw like hands and claw like feet. Still, if she could help then Sakura would. She would not let Naruto down.

"How you holding up Naruto?"

"Fine though I'm getting tired. Tali-chan has a very weak immune system so I can keep her stable but only if I pump chakra into her" he told her. Sakura realized that at the same time he explained how serious the situation was with Tali and without hesitation Sakura began her own diagnostic jutsu just to see what needed to be done to get Tali to the village for more treatment.

"What are you doing?" came a quiet voice.

"I'm running a scan to see how bad you are while Naruto keeps you stable. Best way for me to see how I can get you ready to take you to our village" Sakura replied.

"Thank you, both of you, for helping me" she said, "where I come from most people wouldn't help a Quarian". Sakura could tell that Naruto's chakra was probably giving Tali a bit more strength to be able to talk.

"We're not most people and Naruto wouldn't leave anyone to die if he could help it" was all that Sakura could say. "Ok, I'm ready to take over Naruto, you can take a break now..."

As they switched over and Sakura started to work on getting Tali ready to move Naruto was going to get out of the way when Tali reached up to stop him.

"Please stay…" was all she could say.

"Sure Tali-chan, I won't go anywhere" he said with a smile as he took and held Tali's hand and looked up at Sakura who had a smile of her own directed at him.

* * *

The minutes dragged on outside the ship and Kakashi had already started to read his book when they heard movement from inside the shuttle to see Sakura followed by Naruto who was carrying Tali on his back piggy back style.

"How is she?" Sheppard asked

"She's fine if we take her to our village right now. We should be able to heal her up there if that's ok with you." was Sakura's response.

"Then I guess that's where we're headed" Garrus stated.

"How are you feeling Tali?" Sheppard asked her friend

"Better than before though I think I still have a fever but I'll be fine now that I have my transportation ready" she jokingly said referring to Naruto as said transportation as she also squeezed her arms around him a bit tighter.

It was nearly missed but Kakashi noticed a quick spike of killing intent from Sakura. _Interesting_. "Will you be able to carry her back to the village Naruto? You used a lot of Chakra today"

"I'll be fine, I made a promise to Tali-chan that she'll be fine and I won't go back on my word" earning a small giggle from the girl on his back.

"Well, then I guess we should get going. Sheppard-san, Garrus-san please follow us to Konoha" Kakashi requested to them.

"Sure", she said before tapped her ear communicator "Joker, we're moving to the locals village to get more help for Tali. Track my signal and send the other shuttle when ready."

"Shepard, did you say locals?"

"Yes Miranda, I would say they are quite friendly as well and I think they know where the Geth are" she finished as she closed the link.

"Geth?" came from the silent boy known as Sai

"I think they're what you refer to as "One eyes" though it's a long story" Garrus told him.

"We should get going to the village then so we can hear it" was Kakashi's response as the party left the crash site to head to the village known as Konoha.

* * *

Author's note: So here you have it - chapter one of my first actual attempt (as opposed to those other attempts where I started then scrapped the idea) of a multi-chaptered story here. Right now the plan is for once a week updates as I'm actually quite far ahead in the actual writing, being currently on chapter eleven, and my beta has cleared chapter two through four so I've got a bit of a buffer in case something comes up. Anyway, I hope people enjoy it as it's an odd crossover to do but then again, where's the fun and doing the easy thing? ;)

Thanks for reading.

_Edit - changed up a few words since it seems like some couldn't make a connection unless it was specifically noted. I hope the change clears up the issue. _


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto Effect

Chapter 2

* * *

The trip to the Village was fairly uneventful and all three members of the Normandy crew present noticed how peaceful the area was in general. The group chatted amongst themselves, though it was mostly small talk and side chatter. Unlike Kakashi, Shepard didn't need a spike of killing intent to notice that the pink haired girl named Sakura wasn't too happy about Tali riding on Naruto's back. It almost seemed like the girl was jealous. She stopped that line of thinking though, the moment they reached the massive gates to the village.

"Welcome to Konoha!" came from Naruto, as they stepped into what Shepard would describe as a small city as opposed to a 'village'. She also noticed the large mountain with five faces carved into them along with power lines throughout the village. _Guess they have some technology after all. _She thought to herself.

"Wow, lots of people. Almost like my home." was all that Tali could say.

"Kakashi-sensei, we should take Tali-san to the hospital right away."

"Right, you and Naruto head there with our guests while Sai and I go and report to Tsunade-sama about the situation. She'll most likely want to check on Tali-san herself and also speak with Shepard-san."

"Right, Shepard-san, Garrus-san please follow us."

"Sure," was the only reply Shepard could give as they moved into the village.

It didn't take long for Shepard to notice that the people they passed were muttering to themselves and quietly staring at the group. Shepard knew it was mostly directly at Garrus and Tali but she knew that she stood out a bit herself. Still, looking at her companions she would think the people would be used to different things given a girl with pink hair.

A short trip later, in which Naruto chatted a bit like a tour guide to them, they arrived at a small building that was the Konoha hospital. Once inside they were greeted by a nurse behind the receptionist desk.

"Ah Sakura, we got a message from Hokage-sama that you should take the injured party in right away. The others are to stay in the waiting area with the ANBU. She will arrive shortly to speak with them," the nurse at the front desk stated.

Looking ahead Shepard noticed the pair of what was clearly 'ANBU', clad completely in masks and armor.

"I was wondering if we'd be watched," came from Garrus.

"As long as you do not give us any reason to act then you have nothing to worry about," one ANBU stated in a stern tone.

"What's the plan Shepard?"

"We'll be good guests and do what we're asked to do for now. We need help for Tali and so far they've done more than we expected," came her response. "But should anything happen to Tali, then the gloves come off."

"Oi Oi, let's remember we're all friends here," Naruto exclaimed as Sakura began to drag him off, clearly, to get Tali the aid she needed.

"Please follow us to the waiting area," the other ANBU said and led Shepard and Garrus off.

* * *

It didn't take long for Tali to get taken to a separate room where she would get more treatment. She knew she was lucky to be alive given the damage to her suit but she never expected to be given this sort of assistance, much less further treatment. They had taken her to a room with a bed and Naruto gently let her get off his back and sit on the bed.

"Sit down Naruto, you're tired and I know even for you that you used way too much Chakra today," came from Sakura. Naruto didn't get a chance to answer as the door to the room they were in opened and a Blonde hair woman entered the room.

Tsunade didn't know what to expect when Kakashi said, 'different looking,' but the girl in the bed clearly fit the bill. Her face and body was completely covered and she could see the quick patch job that obviously Naruto and Sakura did given that it looked like part of Naruto's cloak was used to seal it. The patch wouldn't do for long term but Tsunade knew that Naruto was thinking on his feet and used what he could at the time and Sakura didn't have much choice in the situation either.

"Baachan!"

"Don't call me that!" Tsunade quipped with a quick smack to Naruto's head before turning to the patient. "Hello, my name is Tsunade. I am the leader of this village, Konoha, and I'm also the chief doctor here. I want to assure you that you are in good hands. I trust the judgment of my Shinobi, especially these two here."

"I am Tali'Zorah vas Neema but you can just call me Tali," she responded, "Thank you for the help. I don't think I could ever repay the kindness that you and your people have shown me." Tsunade's years as a medic and a doctor told her that the girl clearly was ill with the labored breathing but given that she responded well to Naruto's and Sakura's treatment, chances were high that they could help her. She could also see that Tali was clearly connecting to Naruto, given the girl was holding his hand. It also didn't escape her that her apprentice wasn't too pleased about it. _Maybe this one will finally give Sakura the kick in the rear she needs._ Still, she needed to know more which meant talking to Sakura and Tali alone.

"Ok brat, you're done for now. Go to the waiting area with the others."

"Fine" he said before turning to Tali, "Don't worry Tali-chan. Tsunade-baachan and Sakura-chan are the best!" he said to her with a smile and a thumbs up before leaving the room.

"Now then, Sakura, how should we heal our new friend here…"

* * *

Naruto slowly made his way to the waiting area and practically stumbled in when he was caught before falling down.

"You alright kid?" was all that Shepard could ask as she caught him before he fell.

"I'm just a bit tired. A little rest and I'll be fine before you know it." As he gave a thumbs up.

Chuckling Shepard helped Naruto to one of the seats as they waited to hear news about Tali.

"So, what's it like up there?"

"Up where?"

"In the sky. Are there lot of different people? Do you have lots of fun and amazing adventures?"

"Well, it's amazing and scary at the same time." Was all that Shepard would say for the time being. She didn't feel like she should tell him about the Collector's or the reapers or anything else quite yet. "Just rest for a bit, you've done a lot for us," she told him.

Twenty minutes passed at which point Sakura entered along with Tsunade who laid eyes on Shepard and immediately blurted out "Kushina? It can't be.."

"Who?"

"Sorry, you just look like someone I knew," Tsunade stated, slightly embarrassed. "My name is Tsunade, leader of this village and head Doctor. Your friend Tali has responded well to our treatment and she should be fine by the morning."

"Thank you. I'm Commander Jane Shepard of the Normandy and this is Garrus Vakarian." Shepard responded, gesturing to Garrus, while remaining trained on the blond leader, "and thank you for helping us. I know you're going well beyond for a bunch of strangers."

"You're lucky it was the brat you ran into," Tsunade said with a smile while pointing at the now sleeping Naruto, while Sakura moved to sit beside him. "Now, from what I've been told you know about the One eyes."

_Right to business_ "Yes, we actually came here because we were tracing signals from the Geth via the Mass relay..." and then Shepard realized "...and I guess you have no clue about the Mass Relays, the Citadel or anything like that right?"

"You would be correct about that. Up until the … Geth? That's what you call them? Well, up until they came we only knew of the people on our little world here." Tsunade said, "I guess things are going to be different now that we're not alone anymore….but perhaps it would be best to discuss this elsewhere instead of this waiting room. But first, how are we able to speak and understand each other?" It was a question that was bothering her for a while.

"Our Omni-tools has translators built in so that we can speak and understand each other." Shepard said as she raised her right arm and showed the leader of the village the Omni-Tool as it lit up in orange light around her arm.

"Makes sense I suppose. Given the hour and the events perhaps you and your companion would like to rest for the night. Chances are the girl will also be able to join us and looking at Naruto and Sakura, it would seem best." Tsunade stated, "Would you like to be shown to some guest quarters?"

Shepard looked at this leader for a second before replaying "I think we'd rather stay close to Tali."

"As I expected, I'll have someone take a pair of cots into her room," she replied with a nod.

"Thank you."

* * *

While the arrangements were being made, Naruto and Sakura were making their way out of the hospital. Sakura was unsure what to make of the day as it definitely not what she expected on the patrol, though there was something nagging her ever since they met those new people.

"Hey Naruto, what do you think of Tali?" she asked

"Tali-chan? She's nice. I do wonder what she looks like under her mask and if she pretty..." he trailed off and then noticed Sakura's depressed look, "but you're still prettier than her Sakura-Chan."

That seem to work as a small smile grew on her face and she looked over at him and asked another question.

"Naruto, do you think they can help us. You know, with the One Eyes?"

"Sure, I guess. I mean, they do know about them but I also get the feeling that they know more then they're telling us," he replied. It was times like this that Sakura forgot that Naruto was in fact growing up more and more every day. Soon the goof ball boy she knew would be gone, though she wouldn't admit she liked what was replacing him. Although it was still Naruto, so one had to expect something unexpected to come from him.

"Hey, did you hear that name Baachan called Shepard-san when she saw her?"

"I thought you were asleep." Sakura said surprised "She called her Kushina. Kakashi-sensei said the same thing. I wonder who this Kushina is?"

"We should find out."

"We should but for now you should go home and get some rest. Knowing our luck tomorrow will be a busy day."

"You're right, I think I'll skip even getting some ramen on the way home," Naruto murmured distantly.

"Wow, no ramen for you. Today is certainly a strange day," Sakura exclaimed in jest.

"Ha. Ha. Sakura-chan." He said dryly, "Ha. Ha. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Back at the hospital Tsunade excused herself from her guests and ordered the ANBU guards to remain in case the strangers were to try something. Inside the room Garrus had taken position by the window while Shepard was sitting on one of the provided cots.

"It's very quiet. Almost too much so. I keep expecting we'll get jumped or attacked any second. They're being too polite and nice."

Looking to Garrus, Shepard couldn't help but quietly agree. They were being treated quite well and usually for Shepard and her crew that would mean something's up.

"They didn't even ask for our weapons or try to take them," he finished.

It was at this point that Tali started to stir and actually sat up. "I don't think they see us as much of a threat," She said. "At least that's the impression I got chatting with their leader for the time she was here."

"Nice to see you doing better Tali," chided Shepard. "Did you learn anything else from them?"

"No, not really. The leader Tsunade was more concerned over my condition than if I was a threat. They mostly just wanted to know my health in general and didn't ask me any sort of questions about us or the Geth outside of if Quarians can eat human food."

Shepard and Garrus both listened to what their friend said to them. It matched the impression both got when they met briefly with the woman, she cared more about the person and that it also seemed she trusted the views of her subordinates.

"I guess we'll be staying the night then," Garrus confirmed. "Though one thing bothered me Sheppard. Why do some people keep thinking you're this 'Kushina' person? You've been called that name twice since we got here."

"They think you're someone from here?" asked Tali knowing she missed something because of her condition.

"Both Kakashi and then Tsunade called me Kushina," Shepard told Tali to bring her up to speed. "I guess I look like someone who lives or, from the way they spoke, lived here. It doesn't matter. In the morning we'll talk to them and find out if these One Eyes are indeed the Geth and see if they can help us figure out why the Geth are here. Garrus and I will rotate watches and you Tali should just rest."

"Sure thing Commander," Tali piped.

"Good plan. I'll take first watch since I'm too restless to rest," volunteered Garrus.

Shepard just nodded and then used her hand to activate her communicator, "Joker, what's the status on the shuttle?"

"Ready for when you need it Boss!"

"Tell Miranda to wait for the morning and then to come down with Grunt and Jack. Tali will be heading back up with it afterwards. Tali should be ready to move by then."

"Roger that, I take it the locals are friendly?"

"So far but you know our luck." She finished before turning it off and hearing Garrus chuckle as they got ready for the night.

* * *

Morning came and Tsunade was surprised to find someone waiting in her office, especially considering the person's reputation for being late.

"You... You're early Kakashi," she murmured in bewilderment at the man.

"I wanted to ask you something before everyone got here and to see if maybe I was seeing things. It's concerning Sheppard and..."

"...and how she's a dead ringer for Kushina? I noticed that as well. You think that it's more than a mere coincidence?"

"I'm not sure but with anything concerning Naruto, we can't just dismiss it," he replied, knowing her direction. "Given their technology, they could be aware of him and are using this Shepard as a means to get close to him."

Tsunade just nodded after Kakashi presented his theory. While she didn't believe it herself she wouldn't dismiss it. Things have been nice and quiet until the One Eyes appeared but this Shepard didn't seem to be up to something, but one could never be too careful especially in the Shinobi world.

The pair waited quietly for a few more minutes until Shizune told them that their guests along with the rest of Team 7 had arrived. As they entered, Tsunade could see that Tali appeared to be much better and was happy that their treatment seemed to have worked. At least with their friend up and about it would make discussions easier and less stressful.

"Good morning. I take it you are felling better Tali-san?" Tsunade greeted cordially.

"Much better, thank you." Tali replied with a nod.

"Good to hear. Now, Shepard-san, let's get to the point - are the One Eyes these 'Geth' you spoke of?"

"We're not positive. Overnight our ship in orbit did a scan and there's one spot here that we can't scan," she said, pointing to a map on Tsunade's desk. It was exactly what every one of the Shinobi feared – Shepard was pointing at the location of Iwa.

"hmm…that's Iwa, where the One Eyes first appeared," Kakashi said.

"Has anyone actually seen one of these 'One Eyes' so we can ask and find out if they are indeed Geth?" Tali asked

"Naruto has!" Sakura blurted out before covering her mouth. "Sorry."

"You have?" Shepard asked in surprise, glancing at Naruto.

Before he could answer, Tsunade spoke up on the young man's behalf. "Naruto had reported encountering one of the One eyes that attacked him a week ago, though he did fight it off. However there was no evidence to back his claim," and before Naruto could argue Tsunade continued, "although Naruto isn't known for making stuff like that up so I personally believe he fought one even if others don't."

Before anything further could be asked Tali started using her Omni-tool, which caught a few of the Shinobi present by surprise before an image appeared to be projected from it. "Did it look like this?" She asked him

Naruto looked it for a few seconds before answering. "It was like that but it bigger," he motions with his hands to emphasize his description.

They watched intently as Tali hit a few things on her arm and the image changed and Naruto's eyes went wide. "That's it! That's the thing that tried to grab me. It even used a weapon similar to yours too. Freaked me out Dattebayo." he said pointing at Shepard's gun.

"Well, I guess that solved that. They're Geth and they're definitely doing something here if they tried to grab him." Garrus said, "Still, it's impressive you managed to beat one of them without any real weapons,"

"HEY! I used my Kunai on it and hit it in the eye then hit it with a Rasengan. That is usually enough for anything."

"Enough Naruto. So, I take it you know of a way to deal with them Shepard-san?" Tsunade addressed towards the commander.

"Yes, although I think we'll need more information especially if they're in this one spot before we do anything. I don't really want to go in blind and I doubt you want to send in a force without knowing what you'd be dealing with either." she replied.

Nodding, Tsunade took a bit of a breath before speaking again, "the problem is that up until a few years ago, things between us and Iwa haven't been on the best of terms. In fact, I don't think any of our current Shinobi knows of a way into the village, unless you do Kakashi?"

"I'm afraid I do not Tsunade-sama. Sensei would never take us that close during the war," he informed regretfully.

"hmmm, Naruto – did Jiraiya ever show you a way into Iwa?" she asked as everyone turned towards him once more.

"ummm…yea…we went there during our trip once…" he answered while scratching the back of his head.

"He said he wouldn't take you there…" Tsunade muttered before recomposing herself and switching to a more serious and what Naruto called her 'Authority tone'.

"Uzumaki Naruto, your next mission is to go to Iwa and gather any information you can on these Geth and find out what they're doing in Iwa that's preventing Shepard-san and her people from seeing it. This will be a solo mission since we need everyone else here, A rank and if you pull this off you'll be promoted to jonin. I promise you that," she paused for a second to let it sink in before continuing. "Under no circumstances are you to engage. You are gathering info and this time you better listen to orders!"

"Wait!" Tali questioned, "You can't think sending him alone is a good idea?"

"Why not?" Kakashi questioned, "He's done similar before"

"If he's going then I like to make a request," Shepard asked insistently Tsunade

"Oh?"

"I'd like him to carry some equipment that would enable us to get some information that he probably couldn't get without it," she asked.

"I see no issue with it unless Naruto does," Tsunade said and turned her head to Naruto

"Nope, as long as it doesn't interfere with my jutsu's, I'll use it," but then he started to smile. "Though you'll have to show me how to use it". He stated cheekily, earning a 'baka' from Sakura and a giggle from Tali.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a crash course in it before you go." Shepard replied and then turned to Tsunade, "Our other shuttle should be ready to land soon to pick up Tali and bring more help, where would be a good spot for it to land?"

"Somewhere outside the village would be best. We don't want to scare too many people," was the answer she got to which she nodded.

"I think we're done here, Naruto prep for your mission as you'll be leaving in a few hours, the rest of Team 7 will stay with Shepard-san and her people. Is that acceptable?"

"Works for me" she answered casually

* * *

A few hours later the group had gathered outside the northern gate of the village waiting for the shuttle to arrive. The Normandy crew noticed another group join them that were in and around the same age as Naruto and Sakura. They were made up of a blond-haired girl, a bigger boy and another boy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Shepard noticed that the two girls were chatting away to each other while the boys just stood waiting for the others to arrive. She also noticed that Naruto still had not arrived but she chalked that up to him preparing for a mission so he probably needed the extra time.

"Here comes the shuttle," Garrus said, gaining the group's attention as the ship slowly flew overhead before landing in front of them. The main hatch opened to reveal Grunt and Jack stepping off and taking a look around.

"Doesn't look like much," Grunt weighed his judgment as he looked at the village but Shepard noticed the absence. lacked a member

"Looks dull," Jack nodded in agreement.

"Where's Miranda?" she asked the pair.

"Cheerleader said she had better things to do than be in some backwater village," Jack replied.

"Probably better that way. She wouldn't like the idea of us working with them," Garrus stated in reference to the tentative alliance between them and the shinobi.

"We're working with them?" Jack questioned, pointing at the gathered Shinobi. " Greeeaaatt!"

"Lots of kids." Grunt said, "Can I fight them?"

"No, but we'll probably be fighting Geth." Shepard advised before asking, "did you bring the extra Omni-tool?"

"Right here," Jack confirmed as she handed it to Shepard. Shepard then turned towards the Shinobi "These are members of my crew. This is Grunt," she said pointing at the Krogan, "and this is Jack" pointing at the newly arrived female member.

Tsunade followed with her own set of introductions for the new people and adding in the new group who were called Ino, Choji and Shikamaru. Jack already started making cheerleader comments towards Ino and Sakura, to which both girls didn't seem to take well to them but that was stopped by Tsunade's next comment. "Now if only that brat would show up..."

"Relax Baa-chan, I'm here!" crossed the congregations ears with the arrival of Naruto, though he was dressed quite differently. To Shepard he looked closer to what Kakashi dressed like, then how he looked when they first met him a day before. It was also followed by Sakura yelling at him and hitting him over the head.

"The females here are like Krogan females," Grunt comment at the scene.

"Naruto, here, I'm putting this on your left arm," Shepard motioned as she slipped a small band over his arm. Her arm then began to glow as Naruto's did at the same time. "To use this just hit this here when you get to the village. The Omni-tool will handle the rest, understood?"

"I guess," he answered with a bit of a confused expression. "Doesn't seem too complicated."

"It isn't really. It'll do all the tough work once you get there," Shepard answered before putting her hand on his shoulder. "Just be careful"

"Don't worry, it's me!"

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Sakura muttered behind him.

Sensing the time, Tsunade broke the group up and assigned Team 10 to help Team 7 with Shepard and her team that would be staying in the village.

"Thank you again for the help," Tali said to Tsunade and Sakura to which the older woman just nodded with a smile and Sakura responding 'You're welcome' with a smile.

She then went to Naruto and surprising everyone, especially Naruto, grabbed him into a hug before saying "Thank you. You are now my friend for life and I won't forget your kidness. Keelah se'lai," before turning to board the shuttle and leaving a blushing Naruto in her wake.

"Wow," was all that Garrus could say. "Looks like he's the one that gets all the girls"

"I guess so," Jack said a moment later. "He is cute in that dorky, wussy way."

He was then stopped by Sakura who started making sure he had everything and reminded him several times to be careful before hugging him which really caught the boy off guard.

A cough from Tsunade though, brought Naruto out of his stupor before she went on to tell him not to be 'a reckless brat,' before he made his way to the path out to the world beyond. Looking up at Shepard who mouthed a 'be safe' with a smile.

With a wink and utterance of "Later," he vanished in puff of smoke.

"What the hell was that!" exclaimed Jack a few seconds later.

"Damn Naruto, always has to be troublesome by showing off."

* * *

Author's note: Here we have chapter 2 all done. An early update since I got it sooner than expected from my beta plus I wanted to show all those who took the time to read and put this on their alert/favorite that I'm in for the long haul. Not much else to say about it other than I hope everyone enjoys it as we start to set up things for the rest of the story.

Translations:

Keelah se'lai - Loosely means "Go with God" or "May God be with you". It's a greeting, blessing and farewell all in one.

Rasengan - an A rank jitsu used by Naruto that was created by the Forth Hokage and taught to him by Jiraiya.

Dattebayo - This one has no real meaning per say, but is more a speech impediment. It's something akin to the Canadian "eh"

Baka - stupid/moron/idiot

Thanks for reading and look for chapter 3 sometime next week.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto Effect

Chapter 3

* * *

After the excitement of Naruto's 'departure,' Shepard and her crew were offered a tour of the village by the pair of teams that which they clearly and quickly figured out were the Shinobi's way of watching the strangers. Garrus had opted to ride back to the ship as well, mostly because they didn't have any food for a Turian to eat. The tour itself was quite mundane and had nothing too interesting to it, though seeing the academy where children as young as six years old were enrolled, bothered Jack for a while until it was explained that they were allowed to enter and leave at anytime and not taken away from their families. Things were dull until the group reached a training field and they caught a glimpse of Team Gai running through their workout. The team in mention stopped their work-out long enough to greet the guests.

"Hmmm, so this is the sort of training you kids have? I expected much more considering one of you took out a Geth bare handed," commented Grunt dryly.

"Yosh, my strange friend do not let your unfamiliar eyes deceive you. We train our youthful bodies to match our burning flames of passion so that we can rise to any challenge!"

It took several moments of everyone staring at Lee until the silence was broken by Jack and her obvious question, "Anyone understand what the fuck he just said?"

"Lee said we train hard to be ready for anything but not to let the training you just saw fool you. He's actually right, we usually go much harder but right now there's no point until we hear about Naruto-kun's mission," came the translation from the girl who was introduced as TenTen.

"I'd show you a thing or two if I wasn't scared I'd hurt you."

"I accept your challenge to a friendly spar, my large youthful new friend," Lee suddenly exclaimed

Blinking for a second, Grunt turned to his commander with a look of hope, "Shepard?"

"Ok, but don't hurt the kid Grunt."

"Hehe, now I can have some fun," Grunt said with a smile as he and Lee got ready for their 'friendly spar'. Standing back, Shepard watched and noticed that the kid was definitely faster than she thought, though a biotic like herself and especially one as powerful as Jack would be able to keep him at bay. Still, given Grunt's brute strength it was impressive to see the younger man trade blows with the Krogan. Shepard just hoped Grunt didn't get too angry or else things could go bad very fast.

"Looks like Lee has caught your friend by surprise," chimed a voice from behind her after Lee caught Grunt with a quick jab. Turning her head she saw that Kakashi had snuck up behind her.

"Truthfully, yes. I guess he's living up to the name Shinobi."

"They all do. Especially since they have to compete with someone like Naruto," Kakashi stated with much knowing in his voice.

There was a bit of a silence between the two as they watched Jack say she wanted to take on one of them as the taller boy named 'Neji' accepted her desire to fight. Shepard was happy to see the two members of her team that many would say are 'unbalanced' able to get along in this environment.

"Speaking of the kid. When do you think he'll get to the other village?"

"Knowing Naruto's general speed, if he pushes it probably tonight. If not then he'll be there in the morning," was the answer she got from the Shinobi beside her. "In other words he'll be there tonight because he'll push it."

"Aren't you worried about him being on his own?"

"A few years ago I would not have allowed it. Now I don't question it. Naruto always finds a way to pull it off and he'll do it here as well," Kakashi replied, feeling an overwhelming pride for his student.

"Good to know. He seems like a good kid. I'd really like to have someone like him on my crew."

"I'd think you'd have to fight someone over there if you were to try and take him away," Kakashi said with a laugh while pointing at Sakura, "Last time he went away for a long period of time, she nearly drove everyone nuts,"

"So that explains why she was giving Tali nasty looks when she left," Shepard commented with a smile of her own, "By the way, who is Kushina?" Curiosity having gotten the best of her.

"Umm...well…"

"You called me that name when you first saw me and your leader also said that." Shepard said after turning to face him, "I'm just curious who this person is."

"Well, you see I shouldn't really tell you." Upon seeing Shepard's eyes narrow _Kami,_ _she's more like her than just in looks_, "but I can tell you that you look extremely like her and that she was..." his answer though was interrupted as Shepard's communicator went off.

"Commander, that Omni-tool you sent out just started to send back some data."

"What sort of data Joker?" she asked. There's no way Naruto could already be there. Was he playing with the Omni-tool or did he turn it on for a reason.

"A small group of Geth seems to be moving towards a settlement to the north. It appears to be an attack force. The Omni-tool then began moving in the opposite direction before shutting down shortly after sending the data," came in the voice of EDI.

Not hearing the whole conversation, Kakashi wondered what was going on until Shepard looked at him and said, "Geth sent out an attack force. Guess the kid saw them on his way and decided to use the tool as the best way to warn us while staying on mission."

"Typical Naruto," Kakashi said before turning to the group, "fun time's over, we got work to do and we need to report to Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Naruto raced as fast as he could towards Iwa. He knew his mission just changed if the Geth, as Shepard-san called the One eyes, were moving into fire country. It wasn't part of the plan to use the scanner early but he bet on the ship in the sky watching for the tool on his arm to turn on and start doing whatever it was meant to do. It was quicker than a toad and there was still a chance a clone won't be able to make it especially if spotted. He hoped beyond hope that they get his message and they could stop them.

Looking ahead he let go of those thoughts and focused on his mission. Get to Iwa and find out how to stop this madness. Then he could turn around and hope he could get back to help any way he can in time.

He won't fail Konoha again. He won't lose anyone again. It took too long to rebuild from the last time.

_Never again_.

Racing forward, he reached into himself with a clear message _rent collection day, pay up now Fox!_

* * *

Jane Shepard didn't realize how many people made up the forces for the village until the point when she entered the make shift briefing room with Kakashi. Various Jonins and Chunins were there along with a few that she could assume as being advisers of some sort. They all stood around the map with their Hokage, waiting for Shepard to deliver her news.

"Shepard-san, what is it that the brat has told you?"She said with a small smile clearly meaning that 'brat' wasn't used with any malice.

"From the data my ship got the Geth have sent an attack force heading in this direction," she said pointing at the map at what looked like in line of a small village just inside their country's boarder.

"So they now dare to step into fire country," murmured one of the advisers.

"Then we shall send out a force to stop them," the old female adviser stated.

"Did he give any sort of numbers in this force?" asked Kakashi, already thinking strategy.

"According to the scan, three armature classes and one being a Colossus. The rest seem to be the usual group of standard Geth with a mix of some heavier infantry." She answered, "I've already signaled to the Normandy to bring down some heavy weapons to help deal with the bigger units and hopefully the smaller units your people should be able to deal with if we can ambush them."

She watched as the advisers whispered into Tsunade's ears in, already sure she could make out the gist of it – it's the same as other places. Either she and her crew would be dealing with this alone while the shinobis deal with the home front or her help would not be required and that they will handle it, with a polite thank you and please go added in. _I guess Kakashi was right, Naruto is the odd duck of the bunch._

"Please remember that I am the Hokage here and not the pair of you!" came from Tsunade loud enough for all to hear, before turning to Shepard. "Shepard-san, I request that your team assist us in this fight."

"Works for me, better than the usual of fighting alone because politics got in the way," she responded as she watched the advisers who appeared to not be happy with her comment.

On the other hand, it looked to Tsunade that she liked what she heard. "Thank you. Kakashi, take lead of our forces and work with Shepard. I'll send out Gai and his squad plus Teams 7 and 10. That should be enough support for Sheppard and her squad," she commanded.

"Team 7 is a member down and a replacement should be …" one of the advisers started before Tsunade raised her hand to draw silence.

"Knowing Naruto, he'll be there some way or some how when the time is right."

* * *

With the meeting dismissed, everyone began to file out to prepare for the upcoming mission. Kakashi paused though and turned to Yamato and Maito Gai.

"Tenzo, Gai get the teams and we'll meet at the North gate in one hour," he instructed as they nodded and left, before turning his attention to Shepard, "How do you want to handle the command structure?"

"We'll handle our part and we know what to do. We're on your turf so my people know enough to trust your judgment. Just be careful if your kids try to pull rank." She replied, "My people aren't really used to kids their age having much experience."

"I think we can handle that. Once in the field, I think anyone who has a problem with your people will forget it. They may be kids but they're also soldiers."

"Works for me. I'll have the shuttle land outside the north gate just before we leave to set up the ambush to stop them. I'll also have our people tap into your radio frequency so we can keep in contact with everyone."

* * *

Haruno Sakura didn't know what to make of the current situation. While she was waiting for Shepard-san's transport to arrive, she couldn't help but wonder if Naruto was ok. She knew he could handle himself and they only knew about the incoming One Eyes because of him but it still worried her that he wasn't there or that she wasn't with him. It also didn't help that the one called Jack changed from calling her 'cheerleader' to 'Lollipop', probably based on her pink hair. _At least it's nothing about my forehead_ she thought to herself as the noise of the transport made her look up to see it coming from the sky.

Landing the shuttle powered down as the door opened to reveal that along with weapons, came back up in the form of Tali and Garrus.

"Are you fit for this fight Tali?" Shepard questioned in worry.

"Any chance I get to kill some Geth I'm ready, my suit is fixed so I'm good to go. We also brought the heavy weapons and I'm ready to help hack their shields," the young Quarian replied to the commander. "Plus, I owe a debt to a friend and I intend to repay it if it means helping to defend his village instead of it being directly to him," she finished

"Ok, Kakashi, we're ready to move." Shepard shouted towards the gathered Shinobi teams

"Hai," he said as he pulled out a map. "We're going to set up a defensive line since it seems this is the direction they're headed. If we can stop them before they reach this village here…" he said pointing on the map "...it should be enough to make them think twice before coming into fire country again." Pointing again to the map where the small village just south of the Konoha-Iwa boarder.

"I agree, let's move out then."

"Ladies first," he said with a smile

"That means you Lollipop!"

"Will you stop calling me that!"

* * *

Kakashi was impressed by the non-shinobi with them. They moved at a good pace and didn't complain, unlike Ino who started to whine while they got to their position just before nightfall. As they set up, Shepard suggested letting the shinobi deal with the small Geth while Tali, Jack, and Grunt provide cover. Shepard herself would use the heavy weapons while Garrus would use his sniper rifle to weaken the shields at long range. Garrus would also have Gai's weapons expert, Tenten teamed with him to help cover and assist the...man. Pretty much the plan was to hold the line and let the Geth come to them.

_Now we just have to wait_ he thought to himself as he pulled out his favorite book to pass the time.

"You never did answer my question," Shepard mentioned to him as she was seated to his left.

"And what question is that?" he inquired, not even looking up from his reading

"Who that Kushina person is and why you seem to try to evade answering it."

"I'll make you a deal; if we actually pull this off I'll answer it."

"Are you normally this evasive when it comes to topics you don't talk about?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, he is," was her answer, not from Kakashi though, but from Sakura who was seated beside Shepard, having just arrived from doing some last minute checks of everyone and hoping to catch the conversation about this 'Kushina'.

"Now now, don't be making fun of your poor old Sensei, Sakura"

"So says the man reading the porn." Sakura said pointing at the orange book Kakashi was reading.

"That's pornography?" Shepard asked but before an answer could be given; a familiar voice came in over her communicator.

"Commander, do you copy?"

"Right here joker." Shepard said tapped her Comm Unit.

"We're getting data from the village now, it's definitely Geth and they're definitely up to no good, given the structure they've built."

"Good, we'll deal with it is as soon as we're done here."

"Good luck commander," Joker finished before shutting off the link.

"I take it you got news?" Kakashi asked

"Seems Naruto did his job," she replied which brought a smile to Sakura's face. "Which means if he's as fast as you make out he'll be here just in time to miss out on the fun."

"He won't be happy about that and he'll start whining worse than Ino," Sakura jokingly stated

"I heard that Forehead!"

Kakashi's radio clicked "Kakashi-sempai, they are near. 2 kilometers away and closing and I believe they know we are here."

"Good work Neji," Kakashi said, "ok people we go with the plan .Watch your backs and each other's and I expect everyone to make it out alive."

"Well put," Shepard stated, "Just don't forget our deal"

"HERE WE GO!" shouted Garrus as he fired off a round of his sniper rifle taking out a Geth.

The battle had begun.

* * *

The fight didn't go as smoothly as they had planned. Both groups failed to take into account that the Geth would have learned from attacking Iwa and that they would adapt their tactics to deal with Shinobi who mostly fought at very close range. To this point, the larger units had yet to actually be seen as they stuck behind the tree line, though their firepower couldn't be missed as they bombed the area near the line. The shinobi held their ground as best they could but this wasn't a fight that suited them. Even the ones with long range Jutsu's, like Kakashi, couldn't get a clean hit on the large units or draw them out.

Shepard's team did their job but given the Geth's odd play not to push forward, they knew that ammo would be an issue soon enough. It certainly didn't help that the one called Rock Lee ran out past the line to fight a Geth that did rush in. The boy defeated the Geth easily with a mix of what they called Taijutsu and speed but one long range plasma shot took him out which led to Sakura rushing out to heal the idiot to keep him alive, only to be pinned down herself by the Geth fire.

"We need a plan," Kakashi said to no one in particular.

"I'll use a rocket, it'll make a big explosion and we can attempt to push forward or give someone a chance to run out and grab them." Shepard suggested

"No, we need those for the big ones. You said so yourself."

"Shepard!" Garrus suddenly shouted into his Comm-Unit. "The Geth are turning around!"

"Turning? Why are they turning?"

"Something is happening behind them," announced the voice of Neji. Beside him, Jack and Grunt could see the young man smile, "or should I say...someone," as they heard explosions behind the line of the Geth. Suddenly the trees shook as a group of ten Naruto's came flying out to attack the Geth soldiers as one ran to the crater that Sakura was taking cover in, much to the pink-haired girl's shock.

"Let's go Sakura-chan," he said to her. "What? You were expecting someone else? The hero always arrives at the last minute to say the day." He finished with his trademark smirk looking down at his friend.

"Took you long enough to get here baka and stop trying to look cool," she scolded as she lightly punched him in the chest, after which they both helped Lee up and moved back to their line.

"You're late," Kakashi jokingly said as Naruto reached the line.

"Got lost on the road of life!" He replied with a laugh.

"I take it you did some damage back there?" Shepard asked, surprised to see him so soon.

"Took out the two smaller four-legged ones with the explosive tags I packed and my clones got most of the smaller ones," he said, "but there's one really big one there that's really tough, plus a couple more of the smaller ones."

"The colossus?"

"No, this one had two legs but was really big and tough. Growled at me too. If I didn't have to worry about fuzzy-brows and Sakura-chan, I would have just stayed and fought the bastard and beaten it."

"Must be a Prime," Tali deduced over the communicator. When Naruto turned to see her, she too saw him and waved happily which despite the situation he did as well. A smack from Sakura though, brought him back around.

"Naruto! Pay attention!"

"We need to draw that Colossus out." Shepard stated

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Kakashi said as they saw a giant four legged machine come out of the tree line.

As soon as it was out in the open, it fired another of its plasma shots, this time hitting near the line and sending dirt all over the allied forces.

"This is bad," Kakashi said and grabbed his radio, "Gai, take some people to the village and evacuate everyone you can. We're going to have to pull back and re-group."

From his spot Naruto noticed none of the little ones around the big one. It was then when he got an idea.

"Shepard–san, I got a plan!"

"Let's hear it."

"Hit it with everything you've got and then I'll run in and take it out with explosive tags and something else."

"What do you mean something else? "

"It's a surprise"

"In other words, something stupid and reckless, knowing you," Sakura said which earned a pout from Naruto.

"Well, Kakashi?" Shepard asked the silver haired man.

"We don't have many options but I'm willing to give Naruto the chance," he conceded. "Just don't die," he finished looking directly to Naruto.

"Right!" He replied before looking towards Tenten, "Tenten! I need a few tags."

"Here," she said, not missing a beat and tossing a bunch to him.

"I'll start running, count to five and then use your heavy weapon thingy," Naruto instructed Shepard. "I'll do the rest."

She nodded and watched as Naruto got up and raced towards the giant machine. Five seconds later she fired off her rockets at the Colossus each one striking its target with precision. As she watched the massive machines shield fall, she realized what Naruto's plan probably was as he reached the legs of the Geth unit. He then tossed two tags each on the front legs and activated them as he raced under it. The resulting explosion caused the machine to fall forward but before it could crush him a shout of "RASENGAN!" could be heard as a third explosion occurred and they watched him jump into the air with a blue ball of energy in his hand.

"Interesting trick," Garrus said after seeing Naruto's plan take place.

"He's such a showoff," was all that Tenten could say with a smile on her face.

No sooner had they thought it was over, when the remaining Geth came out of the tree line and rushed Naruto. Before anyone else could react, Naruto immediately began to move quickly as he used his Kunai to slice at the first Geth before moving and ducking as the next tried to use its rifle to hit him. Grabbing an unsuspecting Geth, he used it as a shield as two more opened fire and the Geth he held fired its gun, taking out the pair of attackers. He then spun and threw his Kunai at one more, striking it in its single eye.

He then was forced to jump in the air to avoid an energy blast aimed at him but soon realized that the 'Prime' had set him up and had it's gun aimed at him in mid-air.

"Naruto!" screamed Sakura.

"Shit," was all Shepard could manage to say as the Shinobi watched her suddenly become covered in blue chakra like energy and then send a bolt out towards Naruto that pushed him out of the way of the Geth's shot.

Landing on the ground, Naruto sprinted right towards the massive machine while he watched it getting hit repeatedly by Garrus and Shepard who were using their guns to drop its shields as he formed another Rasengan in his hand. By the time Naruto got up close, his jutsu was ready and even something made by artificial means wouldn't be able to stand up to it.

"EAT THIS YOU BASTARD!" he shouted as he jammed it into the stomach area of the Geth. There was a loud squeal-like noise as the machine was ripped apart and then flung into the air before exploding.

When the battle was finally over, the Geth had been soundly defeated.

* * *

Sakura was happy, pissed, relieved and annoyed. All these emotions were going through her as she was walking up to Naruto. _I am going to hit him, I am going to hit him _she kept repeating in her head as she got closer, seeing him talk to some of their new allies as they were nearest him. She wouldn't get chance though as she saw Shepard's right hand smack him in the side of the head.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled, "You don't go pulling that crap around me. You're lucky I was able to save your ass!"

"Geeze, I didn't know the big one could do that," he tried to explain, referring to the Geth Prime and it's near hit on him. "Why are you so bent out of shape over it?" he then asked. He expected this sort of thing from Sakura but from Shepard…it didn't make sense.

"You are my ally, my teammate and my friend. As a commander I have to make sure that none of my people die needlessly," she lectured. "Just don't pull that reckless stuff again, ok?"

"Ok," he replied softly.

"But you did good out there," she then congratulated. "Very good all things considering"

"She is right Naruto," Kakashi said jumping into the conversation. "You did very well. I am proud of you, Uzumaki Naruto – Jonin of Konoha," he finished with his trademark one-eye smile.

The others began to gather as Shepard backed off to talk with her team. She watched as Sakura immediately bopped him on the top of the head before hugging him with tears in her eyes while the others were cheering and talking about how amazing Naruto was.

"The kid is good in a fight. He's much like a Krogan," Grunt complimented.

"Imagine him against the Collector's," Garrus remarked.

She didn't think it but these Shinobi would give the Collector's a run for their money. She decided she'll talk with Tsunade and see how things go after they've finished off the Geth base.

"Ok everyone, we did well so let's go home and report to Hokage-sama that its mission complete!" Kakashi announced as every was happy to be heading home.

* * *

Author's notes - and here we have chapter 3 all done, checked, double and triple checked to make sure I didn't make any mistakes this time. At least I hope. Many thanks to the reviewers who pointed out my little spelling problem with jutsu. All I can say is "haha..whoops" and leave it at that. Corrected versions of chapter 1 and 2 will be posted after this and future chapters will be checked. And about those asking about pairings: Where's the fun in me telling you this soon? You gotta read the full story to find out though I will say the hints are there ;)

Anyway, thanks for reading and see you the next update.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto Effect

Chapter 4

* * *

Unlike the trip to the ambush site Shepard made no bones about getting back to the village as soon as possible. They needed to go over the data that Naruto had collected as well as make sure Lee would get some rest after nearly being blown up. Despite his protests against the idea Kakashi and his group found themselves being ferried in a couple of shuttles which turned a 6 hour trip into a mere thirty minute ride. To their credit, Naruto and Sakura seemed the least bothered of all the Shinobi with both just claiming, 'It's like riding a toad' when asked, leaving odd looks among the Normandy crew and Kakashi just shaking his head. Upon arrival at Konoha, they were surprised to receive a hero's welcome for most as Tsunade immediately moved past everyone and hugged the life out of Naruto, much to the poor boy's embarrassment.

"Good work everyone. You have all done well considering the circumstances. Kakashi, come with me to report, please follow as well Shepard-san as I would like to hear your thoughts." She said before turning towards Naruto and grabbing the back of his collar "You're coming too brat, I want to know what you saw in Iwa."

"Awww, but I wanted to get ramen!"

"Jonin's don't whine about ramen Naruto." came from Sakura

"What should we do Shepard?" asked Jack.

"Send the shuttle back with Garrus and Grunt, Tali and Jack should stay behind with me," she answered before turning back to Tsunade. "Is that acceptable?"

"Most acceptable, please follow me," Tsunade answered before heading back to the Hokage tower dragging a protesting Naruto behind her.

* * *

After a quick walk, the group reached the tower as well as the Hokage's office. Shepard wasn't surprised at seeing the pair of old Advisers that were around before the attack but she didn't recognize the man who was also there. He was very tall, with long hair and white eyes and looked like an older version of that Neji kid who was just on the mission with them.

Kakashi gave his report in a very dull manner going over every point of the battle. Shepard herself was asked a few questions but mostly it seemed that Kakashi covered the majority of the details.

"And what of Naruto's involvement? Was he not on a separate mission and yet he entered this fight?" asked the older woman in a tone that clearly was meant to get under Naruto's skin. Too bad her trap didn't work.

"I had completed my mission and was making my way back to try and support whatever force would be sent to defend the border towns," he replied, much to her chagrin.

"I find it had to believe that you went into Iwa and still made it back to support our forces much less turn the tide of battle."

"Hyuuga-sama," Naruto started to explain, "I could not enter Iwa directly but I got as close as possible without being detected. Security was extremely tight and I chose to observe and use this thing and get what I could, rather than chance it and get caught." At which point he raised his arm that had the Omni-tool still on it.

"Oh, and what sort of information did you get? I still have yet to see our new friends present it to us," the Hyuuga leader said in a very condescending tone.

"Since you asked nicely" Shepard started and tapped her Omni-tool to project what Naruto had sent. "It looks like the Geth have occupied the village and are using it as an outpost. Mostly likely they will bring in more troops once they finish changing that village into the outpost. The best plan is to hit them now and wipe them out before they can get any sort of hold on the land much less the planet."

"So, this is Iwa's problem and not ours," said the older man to Shepard's surprise. _Don't tell me these people are going to be idiots about this._

"I agree with the councilor, we should not get involved in another village's problems. Especially given they haven't asked for help and we have proven that we can defeat their forces in combat"

"You can't be seriously thinking like that!" Tali exclaimed,"the Geth will take over everything and not just stick to one village!"

"We will see but for now I think that you're outlived your stay," the female councilor continued.

"But, we need to help Shepard-san. We should take their help. They know how to deal with the One Eyes better than anyone." Naruto pleaded, not understanding why they didn't want to help the people in Iwa.

"Be silent, you are only here as a courtesy and have no say in village matters. Your promotion is questionable enough as is especially given who your moth..."

"ENOUGH!" came from Tsunade. "This news is something we need to discuss among ourselves. Naruto, please be kind and show our guests out as you are also dismissed."

Shepard didn't need to say anything herself to know that there's more going on here than just a village wanting to protect their own interests. _I hate politics_ she thought to herself as this seemed very similar to when the Citadel council started playing games when Saren was on the move. Walking out of the tower, she couldn't help but notice how down Naruto seemed.

"Don't take it personally," she said hoping it would help Naruto. "Politics always mess everything up"

"Yea, but I don't think I helped matters too much."

"You spoke up, that's more than most would do."

"Shepard's right Blondie. Don't worry about those idiots. So, where can we get something to eat around here?" Jack asked him to which all three saw his eyes light up, not realizing they had awoken a sleeping dragon.

* * *

The Ramen bar that he had dragged the trio to was quite the place. The food was decent and Jack seemed to enjoy it while Shepard and Tali enjoyed the warm greeting and conversation with the cook and his daughter who both made them feel very welcomed. Shepard soon learned how close the small family was to their young friend when she was pulled aside by the daughter named Ayame and she started asking all sorts of questions, including asking what Tali's intentions were towards Naruto. Shepard spent most of her time reassuring the woman that there was nothing like that going on and if anything, they would just be friends. _I've faced down Krogan, Geth, Rachni, Reapers, and been blown into space and yet I'd rather deal with them all at once than go through this _she thought to herself as the girl kept grilling her.

Finally accepting Shepard's answer that Tali wouldn't 'interfere' with Naruto and Sakura's courtship, which finally answered Shepard's own question on that issue. Though if Shepard were honest, she had a feeling that Tali had less than honorable intentions towards Naruto, given the girl's body language around him.

Ayame was also able to answer a few questions of Shepard's as well. Most of them revolved about Naruto and his background and heritage, to which the girl claimed she didn't know much, though Shepard could tell the girl knew more then she let on, other than he was an orphan and that he grew up alone until he became a shinobi. Shepard also asked about Kushina but Ayame honestly didn't know who she was even after being told of Shepard's resemblance of the person.

Things seemed to be dying down as Naruto had finished his tenth bowl of ramen when one of the ANBU appeared, alerting them that the Hokage would like to see them all right away.

Shepard already had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Entering the office again, only a few hours after leaving there and Jane Shepard didn't have to be an Asari to know that something was up and that it wasn't good.

"After some serious discussion, I regret to inform you that Konoha cannot and will not be involve in any further actions you and your group may be taking in Iwa," she started. "We thank you for your assistance in defending our boarder village and hope that in the future we can work together again."

"So, we're on our own then?" Shepard affirmed sourly. "Fine but I should also inform you to be wary of a race called the Collectors."

"And why do you say that Shepard-san?"

Shepard then went on to recount what she knew of the Reapers, the Protheans and the Collectors. How the Collectors are attacking human colonies and taking the people and how the Reapers are a race of immortal machines that come every 50,000 years to wipe out all organic life. She knew it would be a lot for them to take in, but at least it got their attention and they were talking among themselves for a second after Shepard finished telling.

"Was it right to tell them?" asked Tali in a near whisper.

"No, but maybe it will at least get them to help us or allow us to borrow a few of their troops."

"What's up with Blondie?" Jack asked as Tali and Shepard turned to look to see he appeared to be in a bit of a trance before his eyes snapped and he mouthed 'Holy shit' almost in disbelief.

"Baa-Chan! We have to help them. Not only here but against these Reaper things as well."

"Be silent Naruto, you know nothing!" hissed the older adviser.

"I do know, you have to trust me on this," his eyes trying to imply the reason why he knows.

"I'd like to Naruto," replied Tsunade. "But this is too much and even I think it's an act of desperation, no offense." She said looking over at Shepard.

"None taken. I just felt you should know as the Collector's may come and you should at least be ready. Since we won't be working together any longer, I think my team and I should depart to figure out how to deal with the Geth." Shepard replied before giving a small bow. "It's been a pleasure and we will be gone within the hour." Before turning and walking towards the door.

"Very well, Naruto you are also dismissed. Please see them out before you return to your home and relax. You're earned it."

Leaving the building the three women and one shinobi looked at each other.

"So I guess this is goodbye…" Naruto said with a sad tone.

"Don't feel bad, you tried to help us. More than you probably should. I just hope you don't get in trouble over it." Shepard told him before catching him off guard by pulling him into a hug. "Take care of yourself kid, I won't be around to save you again," and then releasing it and turning to walk towards the gate. Naruto then watching as Jack nodded to him and Tali walked up and gave him a hug as well and then followed her leader away.

Reaching for her communicator Shepard called up to the Normandy, "Joker, we're done here. Get a shuttle to pick us up and tell Miranda to get everyone ready for a briefing."

Watching the three walk away, Naruto had a very bad feeling as he turned towards his home.

* * *

Reaching his home, Naruto knew that what happened back at Tsunade's office wasn't right. What happened to the alliance that had formed to fight Madara? What happened to the peace that finally was reached between Konoha and Iwa? This isn't what he wanted or what he promised Nagato and Konan. But the biggest thing was what the fox had told him when it started screaming at him the moment Shepard mentioned what these 'Reapers' were. Naruto knew not to trust it but there were times he knew it didn't lie and this was one of them. Was it because they were outsiders that the old fossils refused to listen?

All along the one lesson that Kakashi taught him that he held on to was repeating in his head.

_Those who do not obey the rules are trash but those who betray their comrades are worst than trash!_

Naruto couldn't help that he felt like he was betraying his comrades by sitting here while they go off to fight those One-Eye Geth-things in Iwa.

Something needed to be done.

* * *

Boarding the shuttle, Shepard turned to take one final look at the gate where some people had gathered. Not seeing who she was hoping to see she sat down and closed the door to signal to the pilot to take off.

"Shepard, I just realized. You forgot to take the Omni-tool back from Naruto"

"Yes, I guess we need to turn back..." but that was stopped when the felt and heard a large THUMP on the roof followed by some knocking.

"What the hell is that?" asked Jack

Opening the door, they were surprised when something orange jumped in turning out to be Naruto.

"I thought about it and I'm going to help you even if Konoha won't," he said firmly.

"Umm…ok." Jack said before continuing, "won't you get in deep shit over this?"

"Ya, I may even get marked as a missing-nin and hunted for desertion. At best I'll just get yelled at." He started to explain.

"This is serious Naruto. You could get in big trouble over this. You don't have to go this far," Tali started. "It's ok we won't think any less of you."

"She's right, go home and be happy."

"NO! I can't. Not now, not ever. I won't ever leave a friend in trouble and you are my friends."

"Shepard, we need to take him back before he's missed," Tali started to tell her commander.

Shepard just watched him and could see he had his gear and a backpack, indicating he was going even if they said no. This isn't how she wanted it, but for once it was nice that someone wanted to help them instead of being left on their own to figure things out and someone else taking the credit.

"Can you get us into the village undetected?"

"Yep."

"Fine, you can come along on two conditions..." Shepard started ignoring the protests from Tali, "The first being you do as you're told from now on."

"I can live with that. What's the second" Naruto asked

"No more holding back. I know you were probably told or ordered or whatever but no more."

Stretching the back of his head and smiling Naruto knew the cat was out of the bag, "I guess you figured that out." A serious look soon spreads across his face. "I won't let you down."

"Good." Then fingers her Comm. Unit to call up to the Normandy, "Joker, change of plans – The four of us are heading straight to the village to take out the Geth base."

"Umm…did you say four?"

"Yes, Four." She replied and then grabbing something she turned back to Naruto.

"Here, you'll need this Comm-Unit. Just stick it in your ear, you'll also be able to hear updates from the Normandy as well," Shepard explained.

"Welcome to the team," was the last thing she said to the newest member of her squad.

* * *

Despite the questions by the advisers, it turned out that Naruto's scans of the village were as accurate as possible and much better than Shepard could have expected from any of her people. The Geth had indeed made it quite difficult to get into the Village proper without being spotted much less undetected. Once again, Shepard questioned the fact that politics seem to rule the day within Konoha instead of the merits of their people. _Their loss our gain_ she thought as they made their way towards the village wall.

Waiting for nightfall they slipped in through the hole in the wall that Naruto had found when he did his initial scan, the four made their way past the various Geth patrols as they moved to what Tali pointed out as the main hub. The plan was fairly simple – blow the hub and then just pick off any remaining Geth. This would work very well, especially given the Geth numbers were lower than expected, most likely due to the fact that they lost most of their larger units not to mention their Prime in the last engagement. It would also minimize Iwa causalities, although it seemed that most had evacuated prior to the Geth occupation.

The plan called for the four to split up to each take their assigned positions as Naruto went to use his explosives to blow the hub. Jack would stay close to the young man and cover him using her Biotics while Shepard and Tali would take up positions to cover any of the outer guards who would come in. On paper it worked, but Shepard always knew that all plans had a tendency to change.

* * *

Telling Naruto 'not to hold back' was possibly the best move Shepard ever made. The Geth didn't stand a chance once the hub was blown up. The three women knew Naruto was fast but they didn't know he could do half the tricks he did. Using water to create a stream to blow Geth away, creating a wall of earth from the ground to help give Jack and Tali cover, and creating a whirlwind to send that one Geth flying that would have gotten Shepard in the back, along with his ability to create copies of himself made the fight very different than anyone expected. From start to finish, the fight barely lasted twenty minutes and made Naruto question why they waited the hours till nightfall to go in like they did.

After an hour or so of rest and checking the area to find a good spot for the shuttle to land the three women were still standing in awe of their new comrade, as it was Tali that broke the silence, "You were amazing!" She said to Naruto.

"I'll say. Damn, you kicked ass." came from Jack

"You guys were good too," he said in reply bashfully. "But I thought you didn't use chakra? What was with all the chakra you were using during the fight?"

"Biotics is different than Chakra but I'm not shocked if it looks the same to you Naruto. For example how you have to do those hand movements and we don't." Shepard explained trying to detail the difference between herself and Jack with him.

Naruto nodded and while he didn't fully understand, he was always told that everyone had chakra after all, he accepted what they said since to them his chakra use and jutsu's must be magic or something. They continued to be quiet and rested as Shepard said the shuttle was still on its way from the Normandy. He then looked and while he couldn't see her face because of her helmet he could tell something was bothering Tali.

"What's wrong Tali-Chan? You're not hurt or anything are you?"

"No, I'm fine. I just...well…what are you going to do after we leave?"

"Hmmm, haven't thought about that. I probably shouldn't go back to Konoha for a while though. Let Tsunade-baachan and Sakura-Chan and everything else calm down a bit. I'll probably just travel around and keep my head down and then eventually head back," he answered as he heard the shuttle fly over and descend to pick up its crew.

Looking at the shuttle and back at the young man, Shepard said something the others didn't really expect

"You can always come with us."

"I don't think that would be possible for him Shepard-san."

* * *

For a moment it looked like something was going to go Naruto's way for a change. For once, there were people who didn't see him as the dead last, a burden, a curse or a reminder of their past sins. She may not have known it, but just by making that offer, Jane Shepard had earned a place in Naruto's heart forever. That changed though with the voice of a newcomer that Naruto immediately recognized as that of Kakashi and just by looking in the direction of that voice he could see in the darkness that his sensei was not alone. Along with the older man were Kiba and Akamaru, Sai, Tenten and Neji and while Naruto wasn't the brightest he knew of a squad designed to track and bring him back when he saw it.

"Geeze, you guys sure know how to have a party," came from Kiba looking around the remains of the village.

"Naruto," started his old teacher as he lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye, "Tsunade-sama had a feeling you wouldn't sit back but I don't think she expected that you would actually pull this off with them. That doesn't matter though, you left the village without permission and now we are here to take you back. You can come quietly or we'll drag you back. Either way, your adventure ends now."

Kakashi was hoping he wouldn't have to fight Naruto or at least fight him as a foe, as apposed to as a friend. He was already forced to do that with Sasuke once and he never wanted to do it with either of his remaining students. At this point he was counting on Naruto's loyalty to end this without incident. Of course, Kakashi didn't count on someone else stepping into the fray as Shepard stepped in front of Naruto with her weapon drawn and pointing it at Kakashi.

"He's not going anywhere he doesn't want to go" was all she said as both Tali and Jack drew their weapons and joined Shepard standing in front of Naruto.

"This is not your concern Shepard-san. Please stand back and allow Naruto to return to the village." Kakashi said.

"Oh Hell no," Jack said

"For once I agree with Jack completely," Tali chimed in

"You're going to hide behind these women Naruto? I knew you were weak but I didn't think you were a coward?" Kiba said, clearly trying to rile up Naruto.

"At least I got women that I'm not related to Dog Breath" Naruto shouted back

"That's it! You're going to get it first Doggy boy," Jack said.

The situation was tense and getting out of control and both Kakashi and Shepard knew it was one bad move from ending in bloodshed, something both didn't want to happen. Shepard began to weigh her options and decided to try to see if she could talk to the man.

"There must be a way we can end this peacefully," Shepard said to Kakashi

"Well, I guess there's no way I can convince you to just let him come with us and we all go our own ways?" he asked

"I'm afraid not. Looks like we're at an impasse," she confirmed. "Especially now that he's coming with me." She finished making the decision for Naruto.

"I am?" came from a slightly confused Naruto

Trying to look past the woman Kakashi decided to try and see if he could appeal to Naruto and get him to end this especially given that it seemed his former student didn't plan on leaving with them in the first place.

"Naruto, I know you don't want us to fight. But you know what you did was wrong so you have to come back and face what you did. You expected no less from Sasuke…" but right then Kakashi realized his mistake as he knew that compared Naruto to Sasuke was a very bad thing to do now.

"Naruto-kun, please, think about everyone who will be hurt by this. Think about Tsunade-sama. Think about Sakura-san!" Tenten pleaded. Thankfully Tenten's plea got Naruto to calm down a bit, enough so that things didn't get too far out of hand.

"She is correct. Sakura-san and you have gone through much, your leaving would destroy her," Sai added.

"She's strong Sai and she deserves better than me…" Naruto answered in a slightly sad voice

Neji took a step forward and Tali pushed her gun forward to aim at him.

"You must come back. Hinata-sama has assured that you will not face any true repercussions over this and will help you any way she can."

"Yea yea, I've heard this story before. Don't believe him Naruto," Jack said, so used to deceit.

Kakashi knew he messed up his chance and now it was clear that he couldn't do much to change Naruto's mind. _But maybe,_ "Where would you go Naruto? You're too high profile to be given protection by any other village and I know you will not join any other village."

He hoped by making Naruto think, he could get him to see reason. He didn't realize that Shepard would step in at this point.

"He's still coming with us," she said. "But I'll back you in whatever you want to do in the end Naruto"

She didn't need to look at him to see that he was wrestling with all sorts of thoughts. But she hoped that he would make the right choice for him and not out of duty or honor or anything else the people in front of her were trying to convince him by.

"I want to go with Shepard-neechan," he said. "Her and her people helped us against the One Eyes and now her people need our help." There was a pause before he finished, "What kind of Hokage would I be if I didn't stand up to help against an enemy to all."

"Are you positive about this?"

"She is right Kakashi-Sensei" he said and his put his hand on his stomach.

With a sigh Kakashi finally realized that Naruto got advisement from another source on this _and I guess that is that, looks like the Fox must have told him something to get him to believe their story. _

"Uzumaki Naruto, there is no turning back. You will be marked as an S-Class missing-nin. You can never have your dream. You can never return to Konoha." He stated in a harsh tone like the one he used with Sasuke all those years ago.

"I understand. I am the sacrifice after-all. I will just be happy knowing that I'm helping protect everyone even if it's an enemy none of you will ever see."

Shepard knew that Naruto had made his decision and that it seemed that he managed to end this as peacefully as possible. _Best to leave before they can change their mind,_ "Jack, Tali, Naruto. Board the shuttle; we're heading back to the Normandy".

Kakashi watched as the two females backed up, with Tali taking Naruto by the arm as she directed him to join them. He looked at Shepard and saw she had only just started to move back but still had her weapon pointed at them.

"I'll trust that you'll look after him. He can be quite the handful," he said.

"You can tell your Hokage that her grandson will be in good hands." She replied with a smile as she reached the shuttle door, revealing that she knew what 'baachan' implied.

"Oh, by the way. His mother. That's the woman you resemble," Kakashi said. "Now I believe I have lived up to my end of our deal."

"Interesting. Thank you for finally telling me," she replied. "Take care of yourself, Kakashi," she finished as she jumped in the shuttle and it began to take off.

As it headed into the sky the collected Shinobi looked sad, disappointed and ultimately confused.

"Are we fine with this? We basically let him get away," Kiba questioned knowing he missed his chance to finally get back at Naruto for Hinata's sake.

"As it stood they wouldn't have let him go and if we fought Naruto would have lost it," Kakashi said. "The last thing we needed was Naruto completely out of control. Don't worry though, I'll explain what happened to Tsunade-sama and hope she doesn't kill me."

"What about Sakura-san?"

"I'll leave her a note then take a nice long mission out of the village."

Kakashi looked up into the sky once more and saw the transport was nothing more than a small light in the sky.

_I wonder if Naruto is ready for this _he thought for a second before smiling with the thought _for that matter if everything up there is ready for Naruto._

_

* * *

_

Author's notes_:_ All done and posted after major re-writes and back and forth discussions with my beta as we had different views on a number of things. Nothing to really point out specifically just that I'm not the best at writing dialogue whereas GT (I'll call my beta GT for the initials of her pen name on the site) excels at it so major thanks to her for the assist. Anyway, you can call this the end of the first arc of the story as we now are getting into gear as Naruto's real adventure begins!

Just for those who are worried - this is not a "Kunshia lost of her memory and has returned" story. Shepard and Kushina are very different people and that will eventually come up. Can't give away more than that. ;)

Thanks for reading and see you next time. _  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto Effect

Chapter 5

* * *

The ride into the sky wasn't that scary despite what the others probably thought because as far as Naruto was concerned, it was just like riding on the back of a toad, just less windy. That was until he saw out the window, the disappearing blue sky and it became just like night. A little worried about it, he felt Tali grab his hand and she pointed to the window making sure he saw something.

"This is what your planet looks like Naruto," she said, "It actually looks much like Shepard's home planet from what she has said."

He heard Shepard say something to the person in the front of the transport as it slowed and turned so he could get a full view of his planet. Shepard watched as the young man's eyes widened with wonder, much like her own did the first time she saw Earth from space.

"It always felt so big. When I traveled the land for two years with my godfather, I always felt so far from home. Now it seems so small," Naruto said, a little sad when he realized that he could never go back to his old home.

Having sensed this change, Shepard tapped his shoulder and pointed to the front, "Want to see your new home?"

Looking out front, he saw what they all called the Normandy. It was huge, bigger than any sailing vessel he had ever seen. It was also very sleek and the only word that came out of him seeing it was 'Cool' which earned a laugh from the shuttle pilot. When the shuttle moved around, it went under the massive vessel as a ramp-way was lowered and the shuttle entered the ship.

_No turning back now _he thought to himself as the smaller ship came to a stop and the ramp behind them went back up.

Grabbing his pack, Naruto jumped off the shuttle and onto the deck of the ship. He immediately felt the chill of the metal on his sandaled feet and knew he'd probably have to switch his footwear sooner than later. He didn't know what his job would be or where he would fit in but he'd just do his best to help out where he can.

"Naruto, we'll head for the briefing room so you can meet everyone there," Shepard said as she led him to an elevator. Hopping in he must have surprised Tali and Jack who probably expected him not to know what an elevator was.

"There are elevators in Ame," was all he said as we watched Tali and Jack enter as the doors closed and they headed for the briefing room

* * *

"My name is Miranda Lawson and I am the second in command on this ship," was the introduction Naruto got from the dark haired woman, "You will follow any commands you get without question and you will pull your share on this ship," she continued. It wasn't the warmest of welcomes but he recalled this was the one that referred to his home as being a 'backwater town.'

A 'pfft' followed her speech with Jack saying, "Ignore the cheerleader kid. Just do what you did when you fought the Geth and listen to Shepard and you'll be fine."

"I disagree. He needs to know his boundaries, especially given how…behind he is concerning our normal things. I still don't trust him." The one called Jacob said then turning to Naruto, "No offense but in my eyes you're worse than the Mercs since you clearly take money to hurt people."

"I'm a shinobi, it's what I do," was Naruto's answer, "but, I'm not an assassin."

"He's right," Shepard said. "Naruto is different from what we know of mercs and assassins. He's closer to what you and I are Jacob instead of what we think of when we hear the term Shinobi."

There was a pause as everyone tried to figure out what Shepard meant but Naruto just wanted out of there and to try to start fitting in and help out.

"So, where would I be staying?" he asked hoping to end this conversation.

"Somewhere on his own would be best," Jacob suggested.

"I would suggest one of the observation rooms," came a new voice.

"Umm…who is that?" Naruto said while looking around for the speaker

"That would be me, Uzumaki Naruto. I am EDI, the Normandy's artificial intelligence." Came from the now holographic display of a white…ball like thing, at least odd looking for Naruto.

"Ok, so where is this observation deck?"

"Deck 3, but before you go there you need to go see Doctor Chakwas and have a check-up," Shepard replied.

"But I feel fine. I don't need to see a doctor," Naruto protested with a bit of a whine in his voice.

"It's standard procedure and you were just ordered to do it," Miranda said mater-of-factly.

"Naruto, we just need to have you checked out to make sure you can live here," Shepard said in a clam voice, "don't worry, I promise you it's nothing serious."

"Come on Naruto, I'll show you the way," Tali said while taking him by the arm and leading him out of the room.

"I don't trust him," murmured Miranda.

"I agree," followed Jacob.

"He took out a whole platoon of Geth bare handed on his own," Shepard said. "Talent like that can't be overlooked and he helped us when he had no reason to. Just give him a chance."

"Umm…commander…the Illusive Man wants to talk." Came Joker's voice over the intercom

_It never ends_ she thought to herself as the table in the briefing room lowered and she began the holo-conference with the benefactor of this operation.

* * *

"Good work on Shin303 Commander," he commended.

"Shin303?"

"That's the official designation we're going to give the planet. Third planet in the third system and the Shin part should be obvious," he explained before taking another drag of his cigarette, "I also understand you've added another member to your team?"

"Naruto has skills that will be very useful in dealing with the Collector's, not to mention in pretty much any other situation we run into," Shepard answered soundly. "Plus he also understands the threat of the Collector's and the Reapers."

"I'm not questioning you Shepard, I'm actually quite happy, given the reports that you managed to convince one of the people of Shin to join," he stated. "I assume then that they will be open to assisting Cerberus in the future?"

"No. I got the distinct impression that they want nothing to do with us or anything else beyond their world. Naruto is a different case though," she stated without pause.

"Very well, a shame though. A warrior people like that would give humanity the real boost in dealing with any threat we encounter."

"Not to mention you wouldn't mind using them to help Humanity's dominance over other species."

"I won't hide my intentions Commander; you should know that by now. In any case continue on your work and building your team," he finished as the hologram transmission ended.

_I really hate talking to that guy_ she thought to herself as she left the briefing room and headed to the elevator to find out how her newest team member has fared.

* * *

Making her way to the med area she entered to find Naruto sitting on one of the beds with his jacket off, with Tali standing close by and Dr. Chakwas over by her computer.

"Ah commander, come to see how our newest member is doing?"

"Is there anything we need to be worried about?" She asked while giving Tali a motion that signaled she could leave.

"I should go, I'll see you later Naruto," Tali said as she left briskly.

"Actually…no. For someone of his age he is in remarkable shape, in fact, there is no evidence of any injury at all despite his apparent profession," the doctor responded admirably. "But we did have some trouble with the equipment because of the energy field he gives off, but once we calibrated it, the scans were fine."

"I wondered if Chakra was a unique thing with your people," Shepard said to Naruto.

"One thing, it appears our young friend have two fields."

"Two?"

"Yes, one that I would say is normal. The other appears to be slightly different and contained."

"You know anything about this?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Nope," Naruto replied with a shrug, hoping he could dance around the subject of his tenant by telling a bit of a white lie, "Could be a family thing but since I was an orphan, no one ever said anything."

_That's odd _Shepard thought, _Kakashi definitely knew who his mother was as did that old adviser. Did they not tell him about it? Why would they do that?!_

"Is it an issue doctor?"

"No, I don't think so but," she continued turning towards Naruto. "If anything does happen, I expect you to report here right away," she said to him in what he figured was the universal, 'stern doctor's voice.'

And before he could even decline, Shepard added, "And that's an order," before walking him out of the office.

It wasn't that far to the observation area that was designated to be Naruto's area, in fact, it was just practically across the other side of the deck form the med bay. When she opened the door Naruto could see some seats and a very big window that gave him a view of his planet.

"I hope this is fine for you. I can always move you into another area if you want. Oh, and don't worry, I'll have a cot brought up for you," Shepard explained.

"Don't worry about that. I came prepared," he said with a smile as he reached into his pack and pulled out a scroll.

Opening the scroll on the ground she heard a 'pop' and out of nowhere appeared a bedroll and a pillow.

"I should have figured," she said while shaking her head. "Get some rest. You'll need it since your training starts tomorrow."

"Training?"

"Yes, training. We need you up to speed about things as soon as possible and you know less than most five year olds," she said with a playful finger flick to his forehead. Naruto suddenly had a flashback of Tsunade doing the same when he was twelve which made him become slightly sad.

Shepard watched his emotions change like a tide, "You alright?"

"Yea, just…you know. All of this, leaving and all that."

He was caught off guard as Shepard hugged him briefly and then released him again. "You're a good person Naruto, never let anyone make you think otherwise. Now, get some rest, the ship will start moving soon."

"Hai hai, Shepard-neechan."

Shaking her head, Shepard figured she'd ask later what all the 'chan's' and 'neechan' meant even though she had guessed what 'baachan' equaled to.

"Oh yea, don't stare out the window when we hit the mass relay or you'll throw up and it will be YOU who will have to clean up," she added as the door closed behind her.

Looking out the window, he wondered to himself if he'll ever come back here, much less see anyone down there ever again as he felt the ship start to move and watched his blue world move away.

* * *

Reaching the Command deck, Shepard walked towards the Galaxy map to plot their course for the Mass Relay. Before currents events she had planned to head straight to Illum to recruit their next two teammates but now things had changed. Naruto offered quite a bit in terms of what they can and cannot handle now. She wasn't lying when she said he was talented – she knew he could handle himself in a fight as the boy had shown he had a sense for tactics. Whoever this Master and Godfather of his were, they definitely did a good job with combat and tactical management. The only problem he lacked was patience and clearly tact _then again; I'm no better_ she thought with a small smile.

Changing her mind from her current plan, she decided that heading to the Citadel would be a good plan. Not only could she give Anderson a heads up about Shin303, thus keeping her in the good graces of him and the council. Add to that it was as good of a place to get Naruto some armor without having to worry about it being sub-quality. Decision made, she punched the coordinates into the map for Joker and off they went.

"Any messages Kelly?" Shepard asked her Yeoman/secretary Kelly Chambers who was at her usual station beside the galaxy map.

"Nothing new commander," Kelly answered. "How is our newest crew member handling things?"

"He's coping better than I expected but I can tell he's still not happy with how he ended up here."

"Who would be happy, though I would hope that with time, things could improve and he could at least visit his home-world." The younger woman said before adding, "He is quite handsome though."

"I wouldn't know Kelly, he's a tad too young for me."

"Oh, so then you'd have no objection if I were to have an interest?"

Laughing and shaking her head, Shepard replied, "Give him a little time before you do anything."

"Of course, commander," Kelly replied. "Oh, would it be alright if I assist him with his technical training? I know you had planned to do it yourself but you should attend to your other duties and let me handle it."

"I'm fine with that but just don't go too hard on him."

"Baby steps commander, I'll make sure he walks before he runs," she finished with a smile.

* * *

What was considered the morning on the Normandy came and Kelly found herself walking towards the observation section where Naruto had been housed, with a stack of data pads in her arms. She had no idea what to expect from him but she did know he had yet to emerge for a meal though the records showed he was out rather early to use the men's restroom. She also knew that he was generally friendly and so she figured it wouldn't be that difficult to start a conversation. Shepard had silently asked her to try and learn more about him, which is precisely what the yeoman intended to do.

Completely lost in her thoughts, she forgot to even knock and just walked right into the room and nearly fell over in shock. There was Uzumaki Naruto, doing a one armed handstand while his other hand formed what she could describe as a blue ball of energy.

"Oh!" He said before the ball vanished and just did a quick flip to land on his feet. "Good morning!" He greeted the new woman in front of him, before bowing and making an introduction, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah, Hi," she stammered, shaking off her earlier surprise. "I'm yeoman Kelly Chambers. I'm here to help assist you in your training," she said before shuffling the data pads to offer a free hand, "You can call me Kelly."

"So so, what sort of training are we doing Kelly-chan?" he asked, a spark of energy in his eyes at the thought of actual training.

"Reading these," she replied with a cheery voice, handing him the top data pad and ignoring his pout, "I think it will take a bit and we'll start off slowly since you're not completely fluent with our language but it's the only way we can get you up to speed since the Commander wants you ready to go ASAP." She finished but then added, "though you should eat first."

"I already ate," he said holding up the wrapper to the ration bar he ate

"Fine smartass, you've eaten but from now on use the mess area like everyone else. Now let's see how fast we can get through these first pads and at least allow you to read without needing the pads translated to your native language."

"You want fast learning eh?" he said with a smile, "I think I can speed that up even more."

"Oh, how so?"

With a wink she watched as he moved his fingers into a cross position, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

* * *

Shepard headed down to the mess to check with her crew, not to mention check in on Naruto's training. She knew that Kelly would want to get an early start but when she noticed the girl wasn't at her post, she wondered if maybe the girl was in over her head. They were still a day out from the Citadel relay so it would be ok for her to help out her newest crew member. Reaching the crew level she saw that Miranda, Jacob, Tali and Garrus were sitting at one of the tables enjoying a meal.

"Commander," Miranda greeted.

"As you were," Shepard said before Jacob could jump up and salute her. It was good that he was disciplined but some times she wished he would ease up. "Any sign of Naruto or Kelly?"

"Yeoman Chambers came out about ten minutes ago and then went back with a bunch of data pads," Tali answered.

"I wonder what they're doing. They can't be going over all that stuff so soon," Miranda wondered in minute interest.

"I think I'll go check in on them," Shepard said, but didn't have to go far as the door to the observation area opened and Kelly walked out with the most perplexed look on her face.

"Is everything ok Kelly?" Shepard asked with concern.

"Oh commander, good morning!" Kelly replied, "Everything is fine…I think."

"You think?" Miranda chimed into the conversation.

"Well, we've done more than I expected and well…he's gone over nearly 3 months worth of data pads already…"

"What? How could he have done that?" Jacob asked

"You'll have to see for yourself…" Kelly said pointing at the room, "Excuse me commander, I have to go get more data pads." The yeoman remarked as she left.

Curiosity getting the better of the entire group, they all went to see what was going on. Opening the door they were shocked to see ten Narutos sitting around the room, each with a data pad in their hand.

"What the hell is this?" came from Miranda.

Chuckling, Garrus answered, "Well, he did do this on Shin."

"What?" One of the Narutos said, looking up. "Oh."

Then all ten Narutos greeted at once, "Morning everyone!"

"What is this Naruto?" Shepard finally asked after taking a second to try and understand what she saw in front of her.

"Training," was the swift answer she got.

"How?"

"Kage Bunshin allows me to make physical copies of myself. When one of the copies dispels, its memories and experiences is sent back to the others." He explained.

"Now that is an interesting way to catch up," Tali said, while he just smiled at the collected group.

"Is this one of these tricks that your people do?" Miranda asked

"No. I can get away with this because my chakra is larger than most people," he said. "If someone without the right amount of chakra tried it, they could kill themselves." recalling the time Ino nearly went into a coma because she tried it.

"Well, no killing yourself young man, understood?" Shepard mock order.

"Hai Hai, neechan," Naruto said half ignoring her while reading the data pad in front of him.

"Nee-chan? What's that?" asked Miranda.

"You can ask later, let's leave him to his work," Shepard said before turning to Naruto, "You better be sure about this. I'm not going to give you the green light on any missions until I'm satisfied."

All she got in return was a wave from what she concluded was the original Naruto.

* * *

The next day Shepard went to check on Naruto in his quarters or what has become to be known as his quarters. She had run into Chambers earlier who informed the commander that Naruto had finished the majority of the training and that in her opinion he was as ready as he could be with just studying data pads – he needed some actual experience now.

The young woman also passed along some information about their newest member that Shepard was hoping she'd get. Naruto was an orphan, Shepard knew that, but had been alone most of his childhood because of something that happened the night he was born. He didn't go into details but whatever happened that night killed his parents and left him with a stigma that still carries through to the point he left his village with Shepard. It also seemed that Naruto knows of who his father is but wasn't ready to talk to Kelly about it but the yeoman assured her commander that Naruto truly had no idea about his mother.

_But they all knew_ Shepard thought as she recalled once again, what she was told as she left.

It left the commander with even more questions and part of her wanted to just go and demand answers but she decided to play it slow and let Naruto open up to them more. Right now, she just wanted to check in and get her own assessment on the young man's readiness. Arriving at his room she opened the door to find it empty.

"EDI, where is he?" she asked the ships AI.

"Naruto is currently in the lower deck in the same area as Zaeed Massanni," the computer voice promptly responded.

"Why the hell is he there of all places?" Shepard asked as she went to the elevator and made her way to the deck. Reaching there fairly quickly, she made the turn and headed into the cargo area where Zaeed was placed.

Walking in, she was caught by the most unexpected scene as it appeared that Zaeed was finishing a story to Naruto who was seated on the floor cross legged much like a little kid.

"…and that's when I took my pistol and shoved it in the bastards face and said, 'YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I QUIT!' and blew his head off"

"Wow…" Naruto said, eyes wide like a kid watching an action movie.

"Yes, wow indeed," Shepard said as well.

"Commander!" "Morning!" was the responses Shepard received.

"I hope he's not bugging you Zaeed?" Shepard asked the older man.

"Naa, we're just talking and trading old war stories."

"That's good but you should be in your quarters studying, Naruto."

"Aww…but I just needed a walk for a bit." He said, "but you're right and I'll head back."

Turning towards Zaeed, Naruto gave the man a bow. "It was fun to talk and swap stories Zaeed-san."

"Likewise kid, likewise," the man said with a small smile as Naruto then turned to leave.

"Shepard," Zaeed addressed the commander directly. "That kid, he's seen too much for someone his age. He's done so much that most should never do."

"Are you saying he could be a problem?" she asked, a bit concerned.

"No just that I don't like the fact that a good kid like that has had to deal with half the crap that he has," he finished.

"Don't worry, I think things will get easier for him here. He won't have to do half the things he did back home," she said _at least I hope not._

* * *

"Commander, we've arrived at the Citadel," Joker announced.

"Good work Joker, take us in to dock," Shepard responded with a nod.

"Who will be going with you on this little run," Joker asked hopefully.

Smiling silently, she hit the intercom button, "Tali, Naruto – report to the main airlock."

Even though he was a deck below, Joker and Shepard could hear the shout of "YATTA!" courtesy of Naruto.

"He's nearly twenty and still acts like that…" Joker commented dryly.

"It's one of his more endearing traits."

"Reporting as ordered Commander," she heard as she saw Tali walking up with Naruto not too far behind.

Taking the chance to inspect him, Shepard noticed something missing from before.

"No headband?"

"Not this time, plus it might be best if people don't know what village I'm with in case someone goes to my planet. Don't want to cause any trouble and all that" he said in return.

Nodding, she knew that Tali was ready to go, so looking to Naruto again, Shepard stated, "Stick close to Tali and me the whole time. You can easily get lost and the last thing we need is for you to get into trouble your first time there."

"I'm not a little kid, you know."

"Naruto, Shepard's right. The Citadel can be a wondrous but scary place," Tali added in agreement.

"Fine, fine."

"Ok, I think we're ready to go," Shepard said as she led her team to the airlock before turning to Naruto once more. "You ready for this?"

"Yea, I'm ready." he confirmed as they were consumed by a hissing sound as the door to the airlock opened.

* * *

Author's Note: Not much to say on this one as it mostly sets up the events to chapter 6 which should be up sooner than a week since both GT and I have managed to do all the needed revisions on it over this long weekend. A few minor changes in dialogue but nothing that changes the story too much or changes the meaning. Starting next chapter is where the major changes took place so that's where these notes will actually say more than this.

Oh and to the person who complained about "canon pairings" I could go on a rant as to why you're slightly misinformed but I'll leave it at this: it's fanfiction, even if what you claim is "canon pairing" (takes two to make a pairing and not just one making a declaration but I digress) I'm allowed to switch things up if it serves my story. Also, we're only on chapter 5 now, for all anyone knows I could be planning something more down the line for the character in question.

Ah well, can't please everyone....

Translations:

Ame - short for "Amegakure" which is the Hidden village of rain.

Kage Bunshin No Jutsu - "Shadow Clone Jutsu", a clone jutsu that creates actual physical copies. One of the trademark Jutsu's in Naruto's arsenal.

neechan - loosely means "big sis" or "sister"

Yatta - "Yea!" or "Yippie!"

Thanks for reading and see ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto Effect

Chapter 6

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto could easily be said to be one of the most traveled shinobi from Konaha. He's traveled distances and to lands that only the likes of Tsunade and Jiraiya had possibly seen. The only other person who could have come close was Kakashi and that was simply because of the number and nature of missions the man had taken over the years. From the largest of cities to the smallest of fishing villages, Naruto thought he had seen it all until he stepped foot on the massive structure called, 'The Citadel.'

The sheer size blew him away, as he swore the place could hold the entire population of every elemental country put together and still have room for more. Add to that all the numerous transports flying around, ferrying people to various spots among all the brightly colored lights and sounds it all nearly overwhelmed him.

"Is it always this busy?" He asked just in general awe.

"No, it's actually quiet," Tali said. "You should have seen it before the attack."

"Attack?"

"A former SPECTRE allied himself with the Geth and the Reapers and led an assault on the station," Tali continued. "That was until another SPECTRE and her team stopped him and saved the day." His friend said with a grin, or at least a perceived grin. Naruto had come to learn how to read his Quarian friend's body language and movement to tell things that people would normally see only when you can see their face. Subtle head movements, the expression with her hands, the little giggles or laughs were all signals to him. Naruto had dealt with his old sensei Kakashi and his masked face for years, so he figured he had a bit of a head start when dealing with the girl.

"No way."

"Yup, so don't be shocked when we're talking with people if they call me a SPECTRE," Shepard said as their transport landed at the docking area. Getting out, Naruto followed the girls as they walked to what looked like a check-in station similar to what was in Konoha. Instead of stopping, they walked through the door and stopped just before the officer.

"Hold on Ma'am while we run a scan," the officer said before there was an issue when some beeping sounded, which didn't seem normal from what Naruto could tell.

"Is there a problem?" Shepard asked.

"Umm...well, the scanners are picking up an energy field from him," the guard said pointing at Naruto, "and the scanners are screening him as a Geth." he answered, clearly looking very confused and embarrassed.

"Does he look like a Geth to you?" Shepard asked.

"Why would I, being a Quarian, be traveling with a Geth?" Tali added which confused Naruto slightly. _Guess I should ask Tali-chan about that later._

"No ma'am and no, I wouldn't think so but well, new procedures and policies…."

"Let me talk to Bailey and we can sort this out, but I assure you he's not a Geth," Shepard continued authoritatively.

"Well, alright I suppose," the guard finally said, clearing them to enter. A quick walk through the doors and they reached the desk of who Naruto presumed was 'Bailey.'

"Ah, welcome back Commander," the man greeted while punching some buttons on his console. "Yes, I see where the problem is. Your boy here is giving off an energy field that the scanners haven't seen before so they're saying he's a Geth."

"I'm not a Geth," Naruto stated flatly.

"Course you're not kid but we have to be careful after the attack and all," he replied, hitting a few more buttons. "Hmmm…this is odd."

"What is odd?" Shepard asked, peaking her interest.

"We have no records of him at all. It's like he's just popped up out of thin air."

"Probably because Naruto hasn't been anywhere other than his own world before."

"Wait…Did you just say Naruto? That's you, the kid from Shin?" Bailey said looking at him. "Well, well, that explains much…"

"How did you know he was from Shin?" Shepard asked. She knew it wasn't common knowledge yet and she doubted that Anderson would spread it around, even though she sent him a quick report before arriving, until she at least met with him and the council.

"There's been a rumor floating around about some kid from the newly discovered world Shin303 that killed a bunch of Geth with his bare hands," Bailey said. "You should ask you Quarian friend about it Shepard, since her people have already given the boy a new nickname. No offense kid but I thought you'd be bigger," he finished.

"None taken," Naruto said with the wave of his hand, more perplexed then the others.

"Well there, all set. You shouldn't have any problems from now on, though I hope you'll behave yourself while you're here."

"Taichou has been very clear about that Bailey-san," Naruto said, leaving them confused at what he just said. Instead of trying to figure it out though, Shepard knew that they should just get going, so with a quick thanks to Bailey she led them out to the nearest elevators to take them up to meet with Anderson and council.

* * *

The ride in the transport gave Naruto another small glimpse at how massive the Citadel was. From what looked like the run down dark streets of Ame, they came to a bright, sunny and green part that reminded him of Konoha. After getting out, he followed the two girls into what looked like offices and they walked down to reach a room where he assumed this 'Anderson' they were suppose to meet was.

"Ah, Shepard. Good to see you again." The man greeted, "and I take it, this is the young man from Shin303?" he said looking at Naruto.

The years of Shizune's Lessons in Manners kicking in, Naruto dropped into a bow. "Uzumaki Naruto, former Jonin of Konoha. It's a pleasure."

"I'm Councilor Anderson of the Earth Alliance," the man said, extending his hand to Naruto and happy that the younger man took it and shook it. "I've heard some interesting things about you."

"We heard from down in C-Sec," Shepard said, less then pleased.

"Yes, there are stories going around about your friend but that can wait as the Council is about to join us," Anderson finished as the holoprojectors activated and the council leaders appeared.

"Commander Shepard, I must admit, we were surprised when you forwarded your report about your contact with the people of Shin303," the female that Naruto guessed from his datapad studies at being an Asari.

"I'm still a SPECTRE even though my status isn't on the best of terms with the Council right now," Shepard answered. "And discovering a new planet with a population is big enough news that it shouldn't be held within one organization."

"Don't take it the wrong way Shepard," the one Naruto assumed to be a Salarian as the third was clearly a Turian. "We were just surprised. Your report was quite interesting to say the least. Would you say the population is open to trade or to have further talks?"

"If you want my honest opinion, then I would have to say no. Their society is polite but they have little interest beyond their own boarders. Even with the Geth on their world, the group I encountered showed little or no interest in dealing with them as long as their own homes were safe." Shepard finished hoping that her assessment didn't upset Naruto too much.

"Yes, we are aware of your engagement with the Geth and the fact that you allied yourself with this 'Gethslayer'," said the Turian.

"Gethslayer?" came from Naruto who was surprised at the new name he somehow earned.

"Yes, it came as much of a shock to hear of one that supposedly defeated an army of Geth on his own with his bare hands." The Salarian said before realizing who he was talking to, "Shepard, is this the one in question?"

"I thought he'd be bigger" the Turian stated

"He fought a number of Geth, yes, but he wasn't alone. I do not know where these rumors are coming from but they are not from me," Shepard answered hoping to end this topic. _Why do I get the felling this is 'him' playing games with my crew again_ Shepard thought to herself.

"Very well, then we will leave you be and once again thank you for the report," they said as they then vanished and the projector deactivated.

"Well, that went better than the last time," Shepard remarked in surprise.

"I think they're just surprised that you sent the report. In fact, so was I."

"Do you really think my dealings with Cerberus made me forget about everyone else?"

Anderson looked at her a bit surprised, "No, it shouldn't and I apologize for even thinking that" he said before turning to Naruto. "So I guess it's correct to say that that name is news to you?"

"I've been called many things, but not that."

"I wonder who started it," Tali pondered. "You don't think it's your people doing it to find you do you?" asking her blond friend.

"I think I have an idea," Shepard said and turned to Anderson. "It was good to see you again but we should be going. We have a few things to take care of before we head back out."

"It was good to see you Shepard." he said and began walking towards his balcony.

Shepard then stopped and turned as if she just remembered something "One more thing" she began to ask "Why was Ash on Horizon?"

* * *

Arriving back in the Wards area of the Citadel, Shepard said she knew what they needed to do and where they should go. After years of being used as a pack mule by Sakura, Ino and even Tenten that one time, Naruto knew that shopping with women wasn't going to be as easy as it appeared. Shopping with Tali and Shepard was exactly the same as it was with his former friends, hitting four shops it wasn't until they hit the fifth that Shepard declared they had found the shop they wanted. In his younger days he'd question about the first four stores but after the numerous beatings at the hands of Sakura, he'd learned to keep his mouth shut.

Standing around, he knew he wasn't really needed, so he went to stand outside as he wasn't technically wandering off but he was just getting out of their way as they looked through the consoles and talked to the shop keeper. He knew Shepard was in a bad mood after talking to that Anderson fellow so he decided to hold off asking who this 'Ash' person was for the time being. He also knew she was ticked off at that other official that entered the office though he couldn't blame her. The man was as rude and condescending as the old bats Homura and Koharu were to him back in Konoha. He also seemed to be as disliked like that pair since his calling the man 'Prune face' earned more laughter than anything else. _Bastard's lucky I didn't kill him where he stood for what he said about my home and baachan._

Still shocked at the amount of people and size of the place, his years of training all his senses suddenly kicked in as his nose detected a familiar smell. A smell he doubted he'd ever smell again. Forgetting that he was not supposed to wander off, he began walking, trying to follow and find the source of the smell. _Maybe it's just something similar because there's no way there would be any here_. Quickly walking down the stairs to the next level, he saw a small booth like area where the smell was coming from. Stepping closer he noticed that everything looked like what he thought it was and as it should be. _No Way..._

"Ah, hello," the cook chimed, noticing Naruto. "Would you like to try some Ramen?" he asked kindly.

"Do you have Miso flavor?" Naruto replied with a smile.

* * *

Working their way through the crowd, Shepard made sure to try and keep an eye on the young man with them for fear he may wonder off since the last thing they needed to do was lose him in the wards. She wasn't fearful of his safety per say, he was a trained fighter and she had seen him in combat and knew he could probably take on all of C-Sec if need be. It was just she didn't really want people to know that a fully trained Shinobi was on the station, especially one like Naruto who could and would get roped in by a sob story from anyone and get into all sorts of trouble.

Reaching the one store she knew sold armor; Shepard began the fun task of finding the right one for Naruto. Looking through the list she saw something that could work but needed to ask his opinion. "Hey Naruto do you think that…" Then she noticed he was gone, "damn it, where did he go?"

"He must have wandered off," Tali said slightly embarrassed that she lost track of her friend and team mate.

Turning to the shop keeper, "I'll take all of these, please have it delivered to this ship," Shepard instructed, handing him the dock info for the Normandy before turning to leave with Tali behind her.

"I told him specifically not to wander off," Shepard said in a huff. "Where the hell did he go?"

Looking around, there was no sign of him at all. He wasn't in any of the other shops on that level and it didn't appear he was milling about close by. She was about to check with the Normandy when she overheard a pair of Asari women chatting as they walked by.

"…taking on a Krogan like that. That human boy must be out of his mind…" the first woman said.

"Excuse me," Shepard said as she ran up to the pair. "Did you say there was a human fighting a Krogan somewhere?" Hoping beyond hope that said human wasn't who she thought it was.

"Not fighting. The Krogan and the boy are having an eating contest down a level at that Human food stand," the woman said shaking her head. "I'm quite shocked that one of your race could actually think they'd ever out eat a Krogan."

"What kind of food was it?" asked Tali who was mildly curious

"I believe it was something called 'Ramen', have you heard of it?" the second Asari answered.

Years later the pair of Asari would go on to tell their children and grandchildren about the time they watched a human female turn completely red with rage.

* * *

By the time the girls got to the Ramen stand, they noticed that quite the crowd had formed watching the two combatants duel. By Shepard's quick count Naruto was up by one bowl, having eaten a total of ten while the Krogan was on its ninth. Placing her hand on Naruto shoulder she was happy to see him flinch.

"Uhh….hi," was all he could say sounding much like the kid who just got caught, which was pretty much what Naruto was.

"We need to have a talk but later," she started and then looking at the Krogan who looked like he was about done and then back to Naruto. "What brought this on?"

Slurping down the last of his bowl before slamming it down on the counter and asking for another, Naruto looked back at Shepard. "A disagreement over Ramen. Instead of fighting with our fists we decided to fight with our stomachs," he then finished with a grin and thumbs up.

"I submit," suddenly came the call form the Krogan as the crowd broke into a cheer and it seemed that some went so far to place bets on the outcome.

"What were the stakes Naruto?" Tali asked, only guessing what he might say.

"Loser pays and winner gets bragging rights," Naruto responded proudly.

The Krogan paid the chef, who was obviously happy at the business he got, then got up and walked up to Naruto surprising all be extending his hand, "Good going kid. You won this time," and after Naruto took his hand he pulled the young man close. "But next time we fight in real battle and you won't be so lucky."

Not missing a beat Naruto just smiled and said, "Wouldn't have it any other way." Then feeling a tug on his ear he was dragged off by Shepard. _This isn't going to end well _he thought to himself as he was being pulled away.

* * *

The smack to the side of his head was almost as hard as the one's Sakura would give him to the top of his head.

"I specifically told you not to wander off. Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten in?" Shepard started, going into full lecture mode. Naruto just stood there while she kept ranting while he watched people walking by and giggling about it.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes yes, I shouldn't have wandered off," he said in trained response.

This time the smack to his head wasn't as hard as before but it still got the point across. He watched as her expression changed and it wasn't one of anger but seemed one of sadness.

"I'm disappointed in you. I thought you could at least follow orders. I can't have you going off like that in the middle of a critical mission much less something as simple as being here," she said very calmly. "I think I was wrong in thinking you were ready for this…" she trailed off quietly.

A flood of memories hit Naruto as he recalled this is how Kakashi, Jiraiya and even Tsunade would talk to him when he did something really stupid. He hated letting people down and as is, he's still carrying the guilt over failing Sakura the first time. Now he's gone and let down another 'precious person'. _Maybe I should tell her to leave me here so I can find my way home_ he thought to himself for a moment.

"Naruto," Shepard said, breaking him from his thoughts. "Let's go and head back to the ship. I think we're done here," as she turned to leave and then stopped.

Naruto noticed she was looking to her side and following her eye line as he saw what Shepard was looking at.

* * *

Despite her misgivings about Naruto's need to help people, Shepard herself usually went out of her way to help folks when it was within reason. Spotting a C-sec officer practically being ready to slap the cuffs on a Quarian, she decided she had to at least find out why. Last thing she needed was Tali going off and doing something potentially stupid, especially after giving Naruto the semi-riot act for doing something extremely harmless. Walking up, she could see a young Quarian girl, or at least that's what it appeared in comparison to Tali, with a human C-Sec officer and a short Volus with the girl proclaiming her innocence.

"I keep telling you I didn't take it," the girl practically screamed.

"Lies! You had to have stolen it, everyone knows what your people are like," accused the Volus.

Walking closer and drawing the attention of the three, Shepard asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"

"I'm sorry but you really should mind your own business civilian," the officer said, obviously growing frustrated.

Annoyed at being brushed off so quickly, Shepard decided to be a bit more proactive. "I'm a SPECTRE so let's see if I can help solve this issue," she said before continuing. "What do you think happened here?" she asked to the officer.

The officer sighed and then said, "My scans say she doesn't have the credit chit but she could have stashed it somewhere for later. You know how these people are."

"What!" Tali exclaimed understandably offended, "What do you mean by 'these people'?"

"Hey, I'm just stating the facts," the officer replied defensively.

Ignoring the man Shepard turned to the Quarian girl, "What happened?"

"I was just looking at the ships as I always do in the evening, I really like them, and then I bumped into this Volus outside one of the shops. Next thing I know, he comes running up with C-sec, ready to haul me away," she explained.

"I take it you're on your pilgrimage and that a ship would be your offer to the fleet?" Tali asked in a friendly tone.

"That's right though, it's not going as well as I hoped." The girl replied.

"Did you see him drop the chit?" Shepard asked, hoping to get some hint.

"No, but it is possible," the girl responded

"Bah! You took it. Your people are nothing but thieves and vagabonds who let loose the Geth on us all," the Volus chimed in. That got Naruto's attention as he was unaware of the Geth's full origin. _Looks like that part was left out of my education_ he thought as he made a note to himself to speak to Tali about it later. He wouldn't judge her by whatever she would tell him. He was the last person who should judge someone for something that's possibly out of their control as he remembered his own burden.

"Keelah, Its closed minded people like you, you little bosh'tet, that are the reason the Quarian people have a hard time," Tali chastised, looking like she was about to hit the Volus.

"Tali, calm down," Shepard interjected and then looked at the shorter Volus, "Is it possible that you misplaced or dropped the chit?"

"No, I am not that absentminded, this is how pickpockets work," he accused. "She clearly took it as there is no other explanation."

Watching all of this quietly, Naruto could tell that the girl wasn't lying. Those eight months of being teamed with Anko on missions taught him much about how to read people, especially those who are trying to hide something. Changes in pitch in the voice, body movement, hand gestures, even breathing were all clues that Anko showed him to look for. As much as he thought the woman was crazy, he truly did value her lessons and friendship, though he'd never tell about the time she took him to a brothel and had a girl strip in front of him while teaching him said 'lessons'.

What bothered him more was how the officer was clearly just ready to believe the short fellow. A tap to his arm brought him out of his musings as Shepard was now looking at him.

"Do your thing you did on the ship with the data pads and visit all the shops and find out if the Volus dropped his chit," she both asked and ordered.

"You got it," Naruto said stepping a few steps away before shouting, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" and six Narutos appeared out of thin air.

"Go to all the shops on this and the above level and ask about a Volus who dropped a chit," he ordered the clones as they nodded and ran off.

"Wow," exclaimed the Quarian. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"He's got all sorts of tricks," Tali said. "It's normal for people from Naruto's world."

"Wait!" the Quarian said suddenly surprised. "That's THE Naruto?" Then holding her hand up and speaking quietly, "he's the Gethslayer?"

"So we've heard," Shepard said dryly.

"Oh wow…" the girl beamed then looked to Naruto. Before anything more could be said though, Shepard noticed Naruto close his eyes and a small smile form on his face before he walked up to everyone again.

Looking at the Volus he informed the group, "You left your chit at the Salarian's shop. He's holding it to be able to return it to you."

"Well, I suppose that's fine," the Volus said before turning to walk away but was stopped when Naruto grabbed it's shoulder and spun it around to face him.

"Hey, apologize to this girl right now," Naruto insisted. "You have no right to treat her like that and especially say those things about her people!"

Naruto then turned to the C-Sec officer and gave him a firm push, "And you, you're supposed to uphold the law and treat people fairly, not use your position to bully people around."

"Maybe I should run you in," the officer said, trying to threaten the shinobi.

Clearly amused by Naruto's actions, because she would have done the exact same herself, Shepard spoke up, "You actually think that you could subdue and bring in the Gethslayer? I'd like to see that."

"Whatever," the officer said closing the case and walking away, trying to hide the fact at the mention of 'Gethslayer' he soiled himself. The Volus didn't say anything more other than a very weak apology before leaving as well in a hurry.

Turning to the Quarian girl, Shepard asked, "Are you going to be ok now?"

"Yes, thank you all for helping," she said gratefully. "I didn't realize things would be like this away from the fleet. Oh, by the way, my name is Lia'Vael nar Ulnay."

"You'll find for every bad person, there are three good people to meet." Tali informed encouragingly.

"You'll be able to take care of yourself from here on out?" Shepard then asked, concerned for the girl's situation.

"I'll be fine, it's won't be easy but I can stay at the Turian shelter and hope to find a job," she confirmed and then turned to Naruto, "can I give you a hug, umm, as a thanks for helping?"

"Uhh…sure," he said, confused as he let Lia give him the hug.

"Oh wow," she giggled, bubbling over with elation. When the hug lasted longer than a few seconds, Shepard grabbed Naruto by the ear and with a tug made him break the hug and started to drag him away.

"Come on lover boy, let's get back to the ship," she said trying to hide her amusement at the situation.

Watching him walk away, Lia looked at Tali, "Tell him thanks again. He really is something special isn't he?"

"Yes he is," Tali replied thoughtfully. "Keelah Se'lai Lia'Vael," she finished before heading in the direction to join her friends.

* * *

Author's Notes: and here we are, done early so consider this a late Easter gift. This chapter was a pain to write. Unlike the other chapters that I wrote over a day or two I nearly spent a week on this one. Nothing seemed right and I'm still not 100% happy with it yet it's one of GT's favorites so go figure. Anyway, originally instead of the Ramen eating contest Naruto wandered off and met Emily Wong, saved her from Blue Sun's then helped her expose an underground fighting ring followed by doing an interview. It just didn't feel right (felt very cliche too) after writing and at this point Gt also started telling me that Naruto wasn't being "naruto-ish" enough in the story so I scrapped it and went with the light hearted Ramen eating contest to which she also agreed that it was better than the original idea. Please excuse me if shops are misplaced but I'll use my "author's latitude" card here to cover that. Also, the line about Anko taking him to a brothel was a bit more...risque originally but I decided to change it. While it was funny it was also a bit much and Gt 'suggested' it be changed and she's the boss in our household :)

Worry not, Emily Wong fans, she is still making an appearance down the line so I didn't forget about her, just shuffled things around. Keep in mind, it's only chapter 6 now and I'm currently writing chapter 16 so there is plenty of time for her and other characters to show up (including Kasumi Goto as I've now got a great way to bring her in but it will be down the line when she pops up as I'm actually writing it now) since it looks like it's going 20+ chapters now.

Translations:

SPECTRE - short for "**SPEC**ial **T**actics and **RE**connaissance" they're an elite group that reports directly to the Citadel council and are charged with protecting the stability of the galaxy by any means necessary. Kinda like ANBU in a sense.

Taichou - loosely means "captain" but can also mean "commander"

baachan - loosely means "Granny", "Grandma" or "old lady"

Keelah - "My god" or just simply "God".

bosh'tet - means either "bastard" or "son of a bitch" as I've seen both applied to the word.

Thanks for reading (I mean it since I never expected this many people to actually like it) and see you next time!

edit 4/8/2010 - fixed a minor typo, thanks to the anon reviewer who caught it.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto Effect

Chapter 7

* * *

Looking at the galaxy map, Shepard plotted the course to Illium now that their business on the Citadel was finished. While things for the most part worked out, there was the little problem of Naruto wandering off to which she now admitted that she overreacted to rather harshly about. Now the youngest member of her team was staying out of her way and mostly sticking to himself, only making a 'formal request' via Kelly for more data pads that mostly related to mission protocols. It was clear the message she wanted to convey to him had hit him but she didn't want him to avoid everyone in the process or damage the friendship she had begun to build with the young man who gave up everything in his life to help them.

_Though avoiding everyone is not entirely true_ she thought as she also read the report on the data pad in her hand that Jacob and Zaeed sent regarding Naruto's weapons training which noted he was a natural shot with a pistol and a sub-machine gun but appeared to be extremely uncomfortable in using the weapons.

It was at this point she really started to realize that she probably went too far with her lecture to the boy when Miranda Lawson of all people had approached her and said that she should 'speak to the young man' in the usual condescending tone she had. Tali and Kelly also made note of how depressed he seemed and Kelly thought that it would do good if Shepard were to speak with him after trying to counsel the Shinobi herself.

It appeared that everyone had an opinion about it.

"Commander?"

"Yes Joker?" she asked, as she stood by the helmsman of the Normandy while the ship was approaching Illium.

"You should just go talk to him," he said looking at her for a second from the pilot's seat.

Yes, even Joker had an opinion.

"What is there to talk about? Naruto went against orders and needed to know that," she said firmly. Granted maybe she shouldn't have made such a strong point about it and maybe he's used to being given more leeway on a mission but she only got mad because his safety is important to her. _And I gave my word I'd watch out for him_ recalling what she said to Kakashi before taking Naruto away.

"I know, but I've done far worse in the past and so has everyone else," He said.

"Seems everyone thinks the same," she said thinking. "Just take us in, I'm going to go and talk to him."

* * *

Reaching the door to the Observation area that he was staying in, Shepard hesitated for a second before entering. She found Naruto sitting on the floor, cross legged and facing the window obviously reading a scroll of some sort.

Without giving her a chance to speak he just said, "What's up Taichou?"

"How did you know it was me?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"I saw your reflection in the glass," he answered turning to her and smiling.

"Smartass," she said, partially laughing as she walked into the room and sat down beside him.

"We good?" she asked. She really didn't know how to broach the subject with him. If it was another soldier than a dressing down like she gave would just be taken and left be but Naruto wasn't a normal soldier. She had to make sure he was on her side as the last thing she needed was having a dangerous Shinobi be very pissed at her. There was also another part of her that wanted to make sure that he realized that no matter how they argued or disagreed that she would always be his friend.

"Ya, we're good. I was thinking I should leave for a while since you were mad at me. Then after we got back I talked to Kelly-chan and she said that it was just how you show you're worried. Tsunade-baachan was the same, though not to the same degree," he said, then looking up at the ceiling. "Baachan and I used to fight, go off for a bit and then have dinner and everything was good."

"Well, I was worried," Shepard admitted. "But you're not getting a free meal out of me and if you tried to leave, I'd track down you and then take you to Shin and let your little girlfriend Sakura have her way with you and not do a damn thing to stop her," she said with a smile as he went quite pale before looking down at the scroll now spread across his lap. "What's all this?"

"I'm trying to work out a jutsu that my dad created but I've always had trouble with the range," he said sourly.

"I thought you were an orphan" she asked in confusion.

"I am but Ero-Sennin err…my master Jiraiya told me about him and showed me the jutsu he created, well the theory and scroll behind it anyway," Naruto half explained.

Shepard clearly didn't try to understand his 'jutsus' and other tricks. It would be like her trying to explain Biotics or assault rifles to him. She did know there was more to the story between this father of his, his master and probably others in the village. She really didn't want to pry so she decided that they'll stop by Shin one day to get the answers. They seem to not be willing to give it to the boy directly but maybe Shepard could 'persuade' them to tell her. For now she opted to just be supportive, "I have a feeling you will. Anything extra that could be used to help would make life a lot easier especially when dealing with the Collector's," she encouraged before getting up and putting a data pad down.

Walking towards the door she stopped and took a breath, "You're off the next mission."

"I figured as much," he answered back in a disappointed yet accepting tone.

"This isn't punishment," she said wanting to make sure he was clear on what she intended. "I want you to study that Data pad I got from a contact when we first landed here while I'm gone talking to the Justicar that is supposedly here. It's the layout of the city and after this mission I'm going to need you to be ready since we're going to get an assassin to join up with us as well. Chances are it'll work out but if things don't, I want to have my Shinobi ready to deal with this assassin," She finished.

"I'll be ready when you need me," jumping up and giving her a mock salute.

"Good," she said trying not to laugh as she got up and walked out of his room/quarters. "Then I'll see you when I get back."

When the doors closed again, Naruto put aside his scroll and grabbed the data pad.

_I wonder if she's what a mom is like _he thought as he began to memorize the city, its layout and a specific building in particular that was marked on the map.

* * *

Miranda Lawson knew that Shepard was quite specific in her orders but this went beyond orders, this was about her sister. The commander had yet to say if she would help Miranda or not and she was getting impatient about it especially with Shepard off with the Turian and the Quarian to meet up with the Asari Justicar. They were already at Illium so there was nothing wrong with her going off the ship to take care of personal business but Miranda wasn't stupid – her father didn't spend all those credits making her into the perfect human for her not to be ready for anything. Miranda needed an ace in the hole and for this, as her instincts knew, it wouldn't go as planned so she decided she'd borrow Shepard's ace.

Leaving her office, she found the person she was looking for in the mess area with Yeoman Chambers. Clearly the red headed woman was flirting with the young man, given how she was 'reading his palm' while sitting across from him. Personal relations were not Miranda's concern, but she needed to know if this Uzumaki Naruto was truly as good as Shepard thought he was.

"Uzumaki," she addressed him formally. "I need you for an assignment, right now."

"I thought I was off missions when Taichou was off the ship?" he answered, looking confused by Miranda's sudden interest.

"He is correct Officer Lawson; the commander was quite specific in her instructions regarding Naruto's status when she is off ship," Kelly added and cleared up that 'Taichou' most likely meant 'Commander' on Naruto's world.

"Yeoman, I believe you have duties to attend to," and after a pause Miranda added a "NOW!"

Clearly concerned, but knowing the chain of command overruled those concerns, Kelly Chambers got up and saluted Miranda before casting a 'see you later' to Naruto.

"Uzumaki, I need you to come with me on a mission," Miranda stated looking at him expectantly.

"Why me?" he inquired curiously, Naruto knew that Miranda made no bones about the idea that she didn't like him being there. For the most part they stayed out of each others way because of this. If he were truthful, she reminded him a bit of a female Sasuke in her personality. Immediately removing those wrong thoughts, especially when trying to picture a female Sasuke, he decided to at least find out what the mission was about. "What's the mission Miranda-san?"

"It's personal so we need to head off the ship right now," she said as she reached over and pulled him out of his seat.

"Taichou isn't aware of this is she?" he asked getting one of those feelings that he's about to do something bad that will end up with him getting yelled at or beaten up.

"No, but I would consider it a personal favor since this would be helping an innocent civilian," she told him. She had read the personnel file that Shepard made and knew that for some reason Naruto had a large sense of morality and felt the need to do the right thing. Miranda wasn't above using that information against him and in this case she figured she'd eventually be forgiven for it.

"What do you mean innocent civilian?" he asked. He didn't trust her but he'd least hear her out before he said no.

"Someone is going to try and kidnap an innocent girl and force her into a terrible life and I need your help to protect her," Miranda told him, leaving out the details that said girl was her sister and said kidnappers were mercenaries working for her own father.

Miranda watched him carefully as he was clearly weighing what she told him. Finally he let out a sigh and said, "Ok, I'm in," before adding, "I just hope Taichou doesn't get mad about this…"

"If we're lucky, we'll be back before Shepard even knows we're gone," Miranda said as they walked to the elevator to head off the ship.

* * *

Meeting with Miranda's contact, Naruto didn't need to be a paranoid Shinobi to know that there was something going on underneath the underneath. Clearly the dark haired woman left out some important details when she roped him into this but he said he would help and he never went back on his word.

"What now?" he asked Miranda who was standing beside him as they exited the bar where they met Miranda's contact.

"We go to the meeting place and try to buy time for my friend to get them out," she replied before turning to walk out. Lucky for them, Shepard was in another part of the city or else it could have been trouble if they bumped into the Commander along with the very over-protective-of-Naruto Tali. Before leaving Miranda stopped and turned to Naruto, "You don't have to go through with this you know."

"I said I'd help and I'm here," he answered slightly surprised that she was offering him the out, "I never go back on my word."

"Thank you Naruto," she said, addressing him by his given name for the first time. "I didn't count on these changes but then again, I don't think anyone counted on you being here either".

* * *

In his short time away from Konoha, Naruto found he had gotten quite use to the transports they used rather quickly. That said it was clear that like how different people fought that there were different way people controlled the transports as he now noticed his ride with Miranda was a bit smoother than he was used to with Shepard.

Miranda must have noticed because she looked over at him "What is it?"

"Nothing, just that it's a smoother ride than I'm used to," he answered, unable to hide his surprise.

Much to his shock, Miranda actually smiled, "Shepard does have a bit of a lead foot, doesn't she?"

Naruto actually managed to laugh a bit, hoping the joke meant that Shepard liked to fly fast, before their transport was rocked as two massive vehicles flew by them, "Eclipse Gunships, this isn't good but if we're lucky they won't shoot us down."

Luck was on their side as they were able to land without incident since the Gunships just raced past them to drop off troops. Getting out Miranda seemed surprised to be confronted by what Naruto was able to guess as being Eclipse mercenaries.

"What's going on? Where is Niket?" she asked looking around the area and only seeing Eclipse mercenaries.

"The boss already knows of your scheme," the leader said. "We're supposed to give you your one chance to walk away as the girl will be returned to her home."

"Returned to her home?" Naruto said, clearly confused.

"Yes, you probably weren't told by her kid but that a baby was stolen from its rightful parents by this woman here" came from the leader.

"Naruto, I'll explain everything but we need to move now," Miranda said grabbing his arm to get his attention.

Looking at Miranda and then back at the mercenary, he made his choice without hesitation. "Sorry, I think we'll be going by you guys now."

"Don't be crazy kid, while we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots on you," The Mercenary threatened him.

"Oh really?" Naruto said with a smile and before Miranda could blink, Naruto was gone as she watched the bodies of the Mercenaries she could see drop with a spray of blood. Walking forward she saw even more bodies and didn't realize the trap they were walking into. _Is that someone's hand?_ It then dawned on her why Shepard wanted Naruto with her on the crew _if he could do this to Eclipse Mercenaries imagine what he'd do to the Collector's_. Finally moving past the last bodies she found the path she was on led to an elevator where Naruto was waiting by the opened door.

"Ladies first?" was all he said with a smile.

* * *

"I owe you an explanation," Miranda said as the elevator started to take them to the next level. "I've been genetically modified to be the best by my father. When I got tired of that life, I left and my father tried again with another baby." She didn't know how much detail she should go into, after all how much could Naruto understand about science and genetics and how some families work.

"And then you found out and decided that what he tried on you shouldn't happen to her so you took her away and I presume placed her with a loving family." Naruto said leaning back on the elevator wall.

"Exactly. She may not be my exact twin but she is my genetic twin. She also has a good life with a good family and doesn't need this." Miranda was surprised how well this went and it almost seemed like he changed his personality based on the mission.

"I've done similar work back home. Families of rich officials wanting out and we'd get hired to help do that. Usually tends to be more messy than planned," he said with his eyes closed before opening them and looking at her ."You should have told me the full truth from the start."

"I know and I'm sorry about that," she said. "But I couldn't take a chance you'd back out. This is important. This is my sister." Finishing just as the elevator hit the top.

Without missing a beat Naruto only smiled, "Then let's go and get your sister back."

* * *

After a quick fight to the next elevator, they raced to the top to make sure everything was clear. Getting there Naruto gathered that this 'Niket' that Miranda knew had set them up and turned on them.

"Why Niket, why didn't you come to me?" Miranda yelled before aiming her gun at the man after he explained the betrayal and why he did it, "Good bye Niket," but just as she was about to shoot him Naruto grabbed her arm and pointed it into the air.

"No, not like this. He was your friend and you shouldn't be the one to kill him," Naruto said knowing himself the pain in facing a friend who turned on him and being forced to either take his life or let him live.

Sadly for Niket, his life was not saved as the Eclipse captain shot him before trying to shoot Naruto and Miranda. Some good timing on Miranda's part with her biotics as the Asari captain was sent across the dock and now there was a fight as the rest of the mercenaries ran into the area. Naruto and Miranda could only smile at each other as they both knew this fight wouldn't take long.

* * *

At the space port Miranda and Naruto stayed back to make sure that there were no more mercenaries around. However Miranda caught the sight of her genetic twin and nearly broke down.

"There she is. She's safe. She's with her family and she looks happy," Miranda said.

"Why not go over and say hi," Naruto offered

"What? I can't do that. She doesn't need to know."

"Miranda-san, if I had a family out there I'd like to know even if it wasn't anything more than just knowing I wasn't alone. You don't need to tell her anything except that she's got a sister out there that cares about her," he finished.

"Ok," Miranda said walking off to go and talk to the girl. Naruto himself knew better and just hung back.

_At least this is a happier ending then I'm used to seeing_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Reaching the Normandy, the pair walked towards the airlock doors but before entering, Miranda grabbed Naruto by the arm to stop his movement.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she said to him. "You didn't have to go as far as you did. I hope I can one day repay the favor."

Naruto just smiled and offered his hand, "Let's just start being friends and call it even."

Laughing, Miranda took his hand and then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "You're a good person Uzumaki Naruto. You will make some girl very lucky some day," before she turned and walked towards the doors happy to leave the blushing young man behind her.

Hearing the hiss of the airlock, they walked through, only to be given the sight neither wanted. There was Commander Jane Shepard, arms crossed, tapping her foot and with a look of utter rage on her face like she just caught some kids sneaking in after curfew.

"Oh crap…" was all Naruto could say knowing that look generally lead to him being on the wrong end of a beating by Sakura or being yelled at by Tsunade.

"Commander, I can explain…" Miranda started hoping to at least get her new friend out of trouble.

"Save it," Shepard commanded with the wave of her hand and then looked to Naruto. "Go to the armory and get your armor. I'll talk to you shortly."

When Naruto just stood there half-frozen, Shepard added a loud "NOW!" and had to suppress the smile as Naruto took off into the ship like a bolt of lightning.

"Shepard, I order…" Miranda again began to try to explain but was again cut off by Shepard.

"Yes, so I'm aware. I thought MY standing orders were that he was supposed to stay aboard?" she started and before Miranda could respond, "Get on board and don't undermine my authority again."

As Miranda walked by and entered the ship, Shepard jumped her from behind and pushed the dark haired operative into a wall and held her there.

"So help me if you pull this kind of stunt again, I'll personally throw you out of the airlock." Shepard hissed between clenched teeth before moving in very close so that her mouth was to Miranda's ear, "and never again will you put him in any sort of danger like this. Not him. Not Ever. Not Again. Are we clear?"

"Crystal Commander," she squeaked out.

"Good, I'm glad we have an understanding," Shepard finished before heading into the ship to meet Naruto in the armory.

* * *

A quick walk to the other end of the ship and Shepard could hear raised voices from the armory. _Don't tell me Jacob has picked a fight with him_ she thought as the last thing she needed now was Naruto turning Jacob into paste because Jacob couldn't keep his mouth shut about his feelings regarding Shinobi in general. She had seen on Shin what one of those Rasengans of Naruto's could do to a Geth and she didn't want to see what it did to a human. Entering the armory she could see that her fears were not needed as Jacob was just trying to get Naruto to choose a weapon.

"You have to take a gun," Jacob said trying to hand Naruto a pistol.

"No," Naruto simply said with the shake of his head.

Walking closer, Shepard made her presence known to the pair of men, "Is there a problem gentlemen?"

Standing at attention and giving a salute, Jacob replied, "Commander, he refuses to take a weapon."

Looking over at Naruto to get a reply the blond just shrugged and said, "I don't want one. I have my own weapons anyway, I don't need this." Holding his arms up and backing away further from the weapon like it had the plague.

"Naruto," Jacob started. "With your natural aim you'd be extremely efficient with this. Hell, I bet you'd do with this pistol what most, including Garrus, could only dream to do with a sniper rifle."

"No!" he said again with affirmation.

With a sigh, Shepard could see this was getting nowhere fast. "Look, there will be times when you will need this and your other weapons won't do," she said. "At least just carry it. Give me that much and I'll ease up about worrying about you," she finished wondering if that tactic would work with him especially since he was aware that she was worried about him.

Watching him take another sidelong glance at the pistol, he reached out and took it. "Only because you said you wouldn't worry," he holstered it in its place. "But I'll never use it despite what you, Zaeed –san and Jacob-san say to me and how you all say I'm good with it."

"Fine," Shepard said holding her hands up in mock surrender. _At least he has something now_ then deciding to change the subject "How is the armor?"

"I was surprised that he was able to put it on without much direction," Jacob commented. "Outside of the electronic systems, I'd swear he's always worn it."

Looking over at Naruto, she could see that she made the right pick in armor. It wasn't that dissimilar from her own, except that it was considerably more light weight, had extra shielding and built for someone to use at to close range and melee combat. "How does it feel?"

"Feels great," he said appreciatively. "Even better than the ANBU stuff I've had to wear on occasion."

_ANBU must be their special ops or something _"Good, I made sure that its light weight and allow you to still be mobile without given up any protection," she commented, watching him move about a bit before smiling. "Do you like the color?"

"I love it!" he said with a laugh. Back in Konoha he was picked on and reprimanded for liking orange yet here Shepard gives him his new armor that is mostly his favorite color with just some black along the arms and legs. He knew it basically looked like his normal jumpsuit when he was fifteen but the fact the woman went out of her way to do this meant a lot to him. He also didn't miss the spot on the chest where he clan insignia was placed. _She really went above and beyond for me_ he happily thought as he saw her go over to a table to grab something.

He watched as she handed him his helmet that he would also have to wear and he noticed that on the top by the forehead there was the symbol of Konoha on it. He couldn't believe that she would do this for him.

Noticing him looking at it the helmet, Shepard decided to tell him why she did it. "I know you're a part of my crew now, but I never want you to forget where you came from. Someday you will go back, even if it is just to visit. I will find a way for you to be able to go back. "

"Thank you."

She then turned back to Jacob, "Is he good to go?"

"Aye aye sir!" he said saluting again.

"Come on Naruto, we've got an assassin to meet."

* * *

Shepard always hated 'easy missions' simply because 'easy missions' always ended up going bad for her. This one was no different. Shepard, joined by Grunt and Jack, were taken to the building in question by their contact on Illium. While this was happening, Naruto was suppose to make his own way there and try to locate and shadow (and protect if need be) the assassin, Thane Krios, until Shepard could talk to him.

So far, things haven't gone as well as planned as the building security went on high alert with Eclipse mercenaries running around trying to shoot everything that moved. Fighting their way through the security mechs and the odd Mercenary they slowly worked their way through the building and found a few rooms in which workers were sealed and told of a 'human who moved like lightning' when fighting off the thugs that told them to stay in there.

Shepard was in a better mood now as it looked like Naruto he did indeed memorize the city layout to beat them there. There were also arrow marks in various spots in the walls and on pillars along with mech parts being arranged into markers as he providing Intel and the odd bit of assistance as he moved along and pointed them in the right direction.

Moving further into the building they came to find that one mercenary hung from a railing by a tripwire babbling about a "crazy human" that did it.

"Looks like he's having some fun" Jack commented with a smile as she pushed on the mercenary and watched him swing a bit and start screaming in fear.

"Ya but he's taking away from my fun" Grunt said, slightly annoyed at the lack of action.

"That will change once we hit the bridge to the main building" Shepard noted as they moved further to reach the bridge in question and found they had to fight their way across it. _Hopefully this will make Grunt happy_…

* * *

Entering the penthouse of Thane's victim, they found the assassin in question bent over and praying over the body of the dead Asari.

"Thane Krios?" Shepard asked unsure of what she was seeing in front of her

"A moment please, I am praying for the wicked," he replied in a very calm and soft spoken manner.

"You're praying for your victim?" asked Jack, slightly confused.

"No, for me." was the answer the group got from the Drell assassin.

Choosing to wait she gave him his moment until he finally looked up and addressed her, "What does a dead SPECTRE who now works with Cerberus require of me?"

"Human Colonies are vanishing and it's the Collector's doing it. We're going to stop them," she stated to the assassin.

"To confront the Collector's means to travel through the Omega 4 relay. No ship that has attempted to do so has ever returned."

"I intend to be the first," Shepard replied with a smirk while crossing her arms.

"And if I refuse? Will you try to force me and I would have to defend myself?" Thane asked but didn't get an answer from Shepard as he suddenly felt a presence behind him and saw an arm snake from behind with a blade pointed at his neck. Calmly looking over his shoulder, he saw the body said arm was attached to. "Ah yes, this must be the Gethslayer that is said to move like the wind," and then looking back at Shepard. "Why would you require two assassins?"

"Naruto's skills differ from yours in many areas," She answered elusively and then raised her hand signaling Naruto to back off. "Plus I could use all the help I can get."

"I have done many bad things in the world," Thane stated before turning towards the penthouse window. "I am dying and it would be good if I did something on the right side before my passing."

Then turning back to Shepard he extended his hand, "I accept this final contract, free of charge."

Taking it, Shepard just replied "Welcome aboard," as the final member of her team was now on board.

* * *

Author's Notes: This chapter was built around Naruto going in to 'shadow' Thane and went through a few changes from start to this point. The biggest change was the addition of Naruto's mission with Miranda. Originally, he was barely going to be in the chapter and it just didn't feel right to have him sitting around essentially doing nothing (well, not really but that's a major SPOILER for the story if I won't even discuss it) while Shepard was off so I came up with him helping Miranda out at the same time. Those who have played the game should notice that there isn't much different since Naruto is essentially a walking-talking paragon, that said, there's his usual spin on things so it's not exactly the same. The addition just means that things that were meant for this chapter (Naruto meeting Samara was one) get pushed to the next chapter.

I really do hope people who were waiting for Naruto to get his armor are not disappointed as in checking the reviews it seems to be something that everyone was looking forward to. The weapon thing was something GT and I went back and forth on just because we couldn't agree on it since she had her own ideas about it. Nothing to jump up and down about, just mostly wording which is how we usually disagree with the story anyway.

As always, thanks for reading and see you next time!

edit - fixed a few errors that were caught by a few reviewers. While I can claim creative license for the difference GT says that it'll only get worse so I should just do the fix and I'll trust her advice here.


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto Effect

Chapter 8

* * *

Upon dismissing Thane and hearing Jacob again go on about his dislike of assassins, only worse now since in his mind there are two on the ship, Shepard wanted to just go lie down and end this day. However, life it seems refused to go her way as before she could leave the briefing room Joker had to call her.

"Uhh…commander," came the pilot's voice over the intercom. "The Illusive man wants a chat."

Sighing at this, she just hit the button to active the transmitter in the briefing room. As the holographic scan went over her body she found herself looking at the man for whom she had a question or two for anyway. _I still hate dealing with the manipulating bastard_

"Good news commander, we've caught another break," he said while standing and in an excited tone. Well, as excited as it got for someone called 'The Illusive Man'.

"What sort of break?" was her reply. The last time he said they had a break was on Horizon. _If he's playing more games with people's lives…._

"A Turian cruiser engaged and disabled the a Collector vessel," he said and got up out of his chair and walked closer. "This is the perfect chance to get aboard their ship and learn more about them and their technology."

Skeptical, she crossed her arms, "How was a Turian cruiser able to disable them?"

"A lucky shot I suppose, but currently the ship is dead in space. We can't pass this opportunity up."

"Fine, send me the co-ordinates and we'll go check it out," she said dryly before continuing with one her own. "I do have a question though – why are there stories around about Naruto being the 'Gethslayer'?"

There was a pause for a few moments and Shepard guessed the man was trying to decide if he should answer or not. Lucky for him it looks like he chose to play ball for once.

"I may have started a few rumors, just to see if our friends were to become interested in it," he said calmly, as if it were the obvious answer.

"And if they go to Shin? Did you think of that?" She demanded to him in an annoyed tone.

"Then we get to see how tough these people are or if your boy is the unique member of his people. Either way, it's a chance to be able to possibly predict their next move."

Not buying it, Shepard uncrossed her arms and pointed at him, "You're risking lives needlessly again!"

"In case you forgotten Commander," he quips, having raised his voice slightly. "We are at war and we need heroes. You are one and if this Naruto could be another then so be it. If the Geth think there is one out there that can lay waste to them at will, it means humanity is that much safer," he finished and then returned to his chair. "Besides, it seems other people are already changing the tale. I've been told that some among the Quarians are already referring to him as their Messiah, sent forth by their gods to wipe out the Geth so they can return to their home world."

"And what if the Collector's go to Shin?" she asked. "They have no means to fight back like we do."

"Then we will be ready to offer them aid," he stated simply enough. "Either way, they will be brought onto humanity's side whether they like it or not. "

"You better hope the Collector's don't go there then," Shepard warned. "Even you couldn't hide from the Shinobi if they decide to come after you if you fuck this up." she finished.

"Then let us both hope I don't, as you put it, fuck this up," he finished as the transmission ended.

Fingering the intercom button, she presses the switch idly. "Joker, head to the co-ordinates we just got, I'm going to grab some shut-eye before we get there," she finished before walking out of the briefing room.

"Aye aye Commander," he responded and she walked to the elevator to head towards her cabin.

She had a feeling she'll need all the rest she can get.

* * *

Despite being in space there was a 'night time' aboard the Normandy. While he tried to sleep, and most times were able to do such, this night Naruto found himself unable to do such. Many thoughts dancing around his mind about his recent happenings and the additions to the crew along with the usual 'chat' he has with his tenant whom has been a bit more cooperative ever since he completed that one jutsu. Tonight however, the beast wasn't exactly in the best of moods and presented Naruto with images of what happened the last time the 'Reapers' decided to visit his world. _Definitely something I should tell Nee-chan about _he thought as he finished writing down some of the details before he went to the mess hall to get himself a drink.

A short walk out the doors to his area later he found himself not drawn to the mess area but across the ship to the other side and the other observation area as he sensed some energy from there. He knew that was where the Asari 'Justicar' was placed but he had as of yet to actually meet the woman. That said, if the energy he was sensing was dangerous it would be best for him to know about it, especially before he raised any alarms. He did recall that Biotics were different from him and that his studies told him that Asari were all Biotics. What he was sensing was similar to that but he wanted to check and make sure. Tapping the door lightly he heard a quiet "You may enter" and opened the door and saw the woman sitting in a meditative sitting position facing the window.

What he saw in the reflection of the window is what really got his attention.

"A Rasengan?" he said looking at the blue orb in between her hands.

"Forgive me, but I am not familiar with that term Child" was the reply he got before she stopped it and then stood up to face him, "We have yet to be formally introduced. I am Samara, I am a Justicar and I hope that we could be friends."

"Oh, sorry" Naruto blurted out before going into a bow, feeling a ghost smack from Sakura for his rudeness, "Uzumaki Naruto, former Jonin of Konoha and likewise, I hope we can be friends as well."

Looking back up he could see a small smile on Samara's face before she spoke again "I am glad we are able to finally meet young one. I have heard much of your abilities and had hoped to speak to you about it however the hour is late so why are you up and about at this moment in time?"

_Great, another baachan… _he thought recalling hearing similar from Tsunade when she would scold him being out late at night. Before Naruto could answer she asked him a question "I am curious of what this 'rasiengen' you speak of though"

"Rasengan. It's an A-class assassination jutsu that my father created and was taught to me by my master, who was also my godfather, that takes one's chakra and makes it into a ball like the one you were doing, like this.." and he finished by raising his hand and showing her a very low powered version of it.

Watching her eyes widen a bit he then released it and she appeared to ponder what she just saw, "Interesting, it seems what I use as a meditative technique is a weapon on your world." She started before looking at him, making him feel like he was in Tsuande's office, "and I still would like to know why a child like you are still up and about at this hour"

"I'm nineteen and I couldn't sleep" he said, slightly annoyed at the 'child' comment.

"Forgive me, among my people those your age are essentially children. I mean no harm or malice by it." She stated calmly before continuing, "and why could you not sleep. Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

"umm..sure I guess" he said, not sure if he should fully trust her yet.

"Please, sit and join me then" she stated, "I also want to assure you that anything we speak of will not leave this room. I know you are one of good character as you gave up everything to protect those of your home for this mission. I admire that" finished as she sat down and motioned for Naruto to sit across from her, which he did.

"Now then" she began, "what troubles you on this night child?"

* * *

Arriving at the massive ship made the entire crew marvel while they came up with their plan of action as the Normandy maneuvered towards the side where there appeared to be a docking back or entrance of sorts.

"I'll be leading a team made up of myself, Mordin, and Tali. Our scans say we can enter at this point with our shuttle," Shepard stated pointing at the spot 3-d map of the ship that is in front of them displayed in the briefing room. "We'll, go along the path here, "she continued as a line began to show displaying to show the path they would travel,"and if all goes well we'll route back to the shuttle and be gone before they knew we were there". She finished before turning to Naruto.

"Naruto, you'll be going in alone here," she continued, pointing at a separate area where he would be let off as a line in a different color began to display. "Scans indicated that there is another path there. So go through and do your thing and get us some data and we'll all meet up at this point." she finished as she pointing at a part of the map where the two paths meets up just before the place where the shuttle would be waiting.

"Hai Hai, Taichou," he said, happy that he was going on the mission.

"Forgive me Shepard," Samara spoke up. "But is it wise to send the child on his own?"

_Not again…_he thought mentally rolling his eyes at his new nickname while he knows Jiraiya is laughing at him in the afterlife. 'SERVES YOU RIGHT GAKI!" is all he would hear from his master/godfather if he was here right now.

Stepping forward in the briefing room, Miranda spoke up. "Naruto has proven himself on missions similar to this and among his people; these sorts of missions are the norm."

"Miranda is right," Shepard agreed, cutting in. "This is the type of mission that he's been trained for, don't worry, he'll do his job," she finished smiling at Naruto.

"Very well, then I look forward to seeing you in action," Samara said directing herself at him.

"If there's nothing else," Shepard challenged before being met with nothing. "Then suit up and let's get to work."

* * *

The shuttle came to a stop as Shepard watched the door open to let Naruto out at his stop on the ship before it set down to let out the main team.

"Stay in radio contact," Shepard advised as Naruto got ready to move, "and don't touch anything you're unsure of."

"Hai hai," he responds with a wave of his hand.

"And be careful," she added as an afterthought.

"I'll be okay mom…" he said sarcastically before getting a smack to the head.

Turning back to the collected group, he gave them a thumbs up before jumping off as the shuttle flew away. Shepard didn't know why she was suddenly so nervous but she was.

"The role of a parent is never easy," Mordin commented.

"What? I'm not his parent," Shepard protested and heard Tali suddenly giggle.

"Shepard, it's ok to feel that way," Tali started. "After-all, you do look like his mother according to that Kakashi."

"Let's just get this mission over with," Shepard said as the shuttle reached their entry point, trying to ignore the chuckling of her squad mates much less the comment from Tali.

* * *

Moving quickly through the empty ship, all of Naruto's instincts were telling him that something wasn't right. He wanted to chop it up to the fact that these Collector's made their ship look like a bug hive. _Shino would love it here_ he thought of his now soured friendship with him along with Kiba after his falling out with Hinata. _Mission first, mope later_ he reminded himself as he moved forward into the massive vessel.

As he moved deeper into the ship, he noticed some strange things but did his job as he scanned various consoles and areas with his omni-tool that looked of interest.

"Naruto, how are things?" sounded the voice of Shepard over his headset.

"Moving, scanning, the usual," he replied. "Odd thing is though, none of these Collector's yet. Did they abandon ship or something?"

"We haven't seen any either, just keep your eyes open and be careful," she said before ending the conversation.

"Hai Hai," he replied.

Moving forward, he noticed a pile of bodies by some empty tubes. They looked like something that Orochimaru would have done in an experiment. "Found some bodies, I'm doing a scan EDI-san," he said into his communicator. He hoped beyond hope that this wasn't related to the snake in any way and that he was truly gone at the hands of Sasuke all those years ago, at least that's what he was told by Jiraiya.

"Thank you Naruto," came EDI's voice though his ear piece.

"We found some bodies too," Tali chimed in. "What a horrible way to die."

"I've seen similar on my home Tali-chan," he said distastefully. "Thankfully that snake bastard who did it is long gone." he muttered.

"Snake-bastard?" came from Tali sounding both confused and curious.

"A former Shinobi of my village who was obsessed with immortality and began to experiment in people in our village" he explained as briefly as possible.

"Human experimentation? How ethical. How uncivilized, How…" Mordin began to talk about at a mile a minute

"Keep moving people, the sooner we're done the sooner we're out of here," Shepard interrupted to get everyone back on track.

Moving forward even still Naruto found and scanned more parts, machines and consoles. _Still no collector's_ he considered as he was moving. He came to a big room full of pods, just like the ones he read about in the data pads. By a quick count they could take everyone in Konoha and still not be full. He admittedly didn't pay much attention to what Shepard's squad found because he didn't understand how these 'Protheans' could be 'Collector's' but it must have been quite the revelation since it freaked Shepard out. The Fox was also quiet about that part as well _but the Fox has been oddly quiet ever since I got on board this shi__p..._

"Naruto, anything on your end like we found?" she said over the head set

"Negative," he confirmed, still moving quietly. "Just found a room with lots of those pods."

"We're seeing the same," came Shepard's voice.

* * *

After the last exchange of chatter things were very quiet for a bit. The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck were definitely up and he didn't need to wonder why he was nervous or on edge. He had, by his count, three reasons standing in front of him and two behind him.

"So, you must be the Collector's?" he asked, slightly offended when he got no answer as they raise their guns to him. Jumping back, he stabbed one with a kunai and used its body as a shield while it fired its rifle at the others and then he ducked behind a pillar as the front three opened fire.

Peaking from behind his cover, he could see the three were just shooting, probably hoping to pick him off if he came out too far. He needed a plan and one quick. Going through the list of jutsu's he knew in his head, he quickly dismissed the fire and water based ones, and settled on his variation of the earth wall to give him cover and move forward. Running through the hand seals as he charged his chakra, he was ready to call out the jutsu when the unthinkable happened: his suit sparked and he got a vicious shock to his left arm.

"What the hell!" he shouted as he noticed he had a small hole in the left arm of his armor that he quickly covered closed. He had no clue what happened but he could only guess that the armor and his chakra were not meant to work together. Now he was desperate since he knew he had no jutsu's and his left arm out of commission since he could barely move it.

Gritting his teeth, he did what he never thought he'd ever do.

He grabbed his pistol and started shooting.

"There's no way I'm dying because of you fuckers today!" he shouted as he ran forward to reach his rendezvous point not realizing that there was red chakra bubbling beginning to form around his body as he was moving.

* * *

Shepard's team was fairing no better than Naruto, although she didn't know it at the time. It was clear this whole thing was a setup, but if it was the Collector's themselves or something else, it was well beyond her at the moment. They were moving quickly, fighting their way past various Collector ambushes to get to the meeting point with Naruto when a message started coming through.

"Commander, readings from Naruto's suit just went offline," sounded the voice of Joker, slightly panicked.

"WHAT!" shouted Tali in disbelief.

"Naruto!, Naruto respond!" Shepard starting shouting. _Don't be dead, Don't be dead.._she starting repeating in her head.

"Ugh," was what she got in response, followed by a strained, "I'm still alive Taichou," from him and she could tell he was clearly hurt.

"What's your status?" Shepard asked while ducking behind some cover.

"My armor got fried when I tried to do a jutsu," he replied. "I'm trying to make my way towards you."

"EDI, plot us a path to him. Naruto, stay put, we'll come to you," Shepard ordered. She should have known better, she should have at least guessed that Chakra and Biotics would be different. She was cocky, arrogant and assumed that it would be fine because Naruto always seemed to pull through. She assumed it was alright because there wasn't any problems on Illum with his armor. _I will not lose you _she thought when thinking about him.

"No!" came Naruto's voice. "I'll be at the spot. I just need Edi-san to give me a better route since all these buggy bastards are trying to stop me."

"You sure?" Shepard asked. She had her doubts but at worst if she gave him the chance, she could backtrack and get him.

"Hai," he responded proudly. "Promise of a lifetime."

From her position, Tali had her doubts. "Shepard, if he's hurt, he can't be expected to fight. Let me go and get him," she offered. At the very least she can help her friend who gave up everything to help her.

Weighing her options, Shepard didn't like it but it was the best choice for all. "EDI, give Naruto and us an earlier rendezvous point. The closer the better," she ordered. "Naruto, you better be there or so help me…"

"Hai hai, I'll be there," he assured and clicked off his communicator as she heard gunfire as well in the background before he finished speaking.

"It seems that he's using the weapon you gave him," Tali noted.

"I'll say 'I told you so' as soon as we meet up with him," Shepard finished.

* * *

Reaching the appointed spot, they saw the doors that EDI said would be open, slam shut as a flood of Collector's and a massive husk like thing come in. The three team members tried using all their tricks and tactics and managed to take their enemy numbers down to just the massive husk and one Collector that seemed to have it in for Shepard directly.

"**I will show you true fear Shepard,**" it shouted as it launched fire balls at her.

"He doesn't seem to like you much," Tali commented knowingly.

"The feeling is mutual," Shepard said before keying in her radio "EDI, any luck getting those doors open?" she asked. Naruto should be on the other side there, waiting, and the last thing they needed was for him to be stuck.

"I cannot get past their protocols," came the voice of the Normandy's A.I.

"We must get past these foes if we are to reach him especially if he needs medical attention," Mordin stated showing concern for the young man he would call 'friend'. While they were not as close as he was with others, Mordin did enjoy the few conversations he had with the younger human and liked the shinobi's positive outlook on life.

Before Shepard could say any more, a loud bang sounded against the metal door. Then another. Then another as the door showed by the dent that something on the other side was trying to break it down. Even the Collector's stopped as they didn't know what was coming. Finally one more bang struck as the door exploded and a mass of red energy vented through. Looking closer, Shepard could not believe her eyes, it was Naruto but it was obvious he was different as he was walking on his hands and legs instead of upright. The red energy covered Naruto's body and formed the shape of an animal of some sort over his body with three tails whipping around his back. She also felt like her breath was being taken away despite being in her suit. Looking over at Tali and Mordin, she could see that she wasn't the only one confused by the sight.

"Remarkable. This must be his second energy source." was all Mordin could say, wide eyed like the others.

They didn't get a chance to react any further as the animal-Naruto jumped up with a growl/scream and grabbed onto the massive husk that was floating around, driving it into the ground before clawing at it to tear it apart.

The Collector soldiers started shooting but Naruto's tails whipped around taking them out; leaving just the one Collector that showed any form of communication.

"**Unexpected. You are completely unknown. You are not a human,**" was all it managed to say before Naruto's arm launched out and a massive red claw grabbed the collector and crushed it with ease. Before anyone could react, Naruto took off in the direction of the escape path that EDI set out and they could hear sounds of him attacking other Collector's forces.

"Commander, we just read a massive energy spike come at you and then head off in the direction of the shuttle. Is everyone alright?" came the voice of Joker.

Still stunned Shepard replied, "I'll tell you when we find out. We're getting out of here."

Racing forward, the trio found a path of destruction along the way they were supposed to head to get to their shuttle.

"Keelah…." was all Tali could manage as she watched what the transformed Naruto did along their path as he clearly took out and removed any obstacle they would have encountered.

"Shepard," Mordin said. "What should we do if he is waiting to attack us at the shuttle?"

"We'll deal with it when we have to. This is still Naruto so I won't just shoot first before finding out if he's still there or if he's gone insane or whatever," Shepard said as she got closer to their exit.

"Hurry up Commander, we're running out of time" Joker said reminded Shepard that the ship was going to become active soon.

Not bothering to give a response, she rounded the corner and just in front of the shuttle was Naruto lying on his stomach on the ground.

"Naruto!" the commander shouted as she ran up to the young man with Tali and Mordin behind. Checking his vitals she could see he was alive but barely.

"He has multiple suit breaches," Tali confirmed as she was trying to help him as best she can.

"Get him on the shuttle," Shepard commanded, grabbing one of Naruto's arms while Tali took the other to lift him up and get him to their transport as Mordin provided cover fire.

"Joker, tell the med bay to be ready for a medical emergency. As soon as the shuttle docks you go. Don't wait for me to get to the bridge, just go," Shepard ordered to the helmsman.

"You got it commander, just hurry up."

Turning back to the injured member of her crew she took off her helmet and got his off to check his pulse with her hand. Breathing a slight sigh of relief that he was still alive, she took his hand and just held on tightly as the shuttle raced towards the Normandy to get away from the Collector's as Mordin began to treat his injuries.

_What was that Red energy and why did it look like an animal? _Was the shared thought the three members had as they reached the ship.

* * *

It was a twenty-four after they had managed to barely get away from the Collector's and their ship. Right now though Shepard could care less about the Collector's as she was trying to find out what happened to her youngest team member.

"Mordin, any way you can modify his armor to handle his Chakra?" she asked the Salarian professor.

"Yes yes, I believe so but I'll need to do a scan and observe his energy in action, in fact both fields if possible." He said still curious about the second field and it's connection to what he saw on the Collector ship.

"I don't think that's a good idea, given what we saw on the ship," Tali voiced her concern. They had yet to figure out what they saw but had guessed what they did see was related to Naruto's secondary energy.

"Commander," came EDI's voice. "Naruto is now awake in the Med bay"

"Thank you EDI." She said before turning to her assembled crew in the briefing room, "I'll go and see him. We'll do the test in Mordin's lab as soon as Naruto is ready but I want everyone there. Nothing we have discussed leaves this room, just tell everyone else it's a test for Naruto and his armor," she ordered as she left to go see the boy.

The quick elevator ride and walk to the Med bay didn't give her much time to think about what she'd say to Naruto. She entered the med bay to find him sitting up on the bed and Doctor Chakwas trying to convince him to stay put.

"Shepard-nee-chan, please tell Doctor Chakwas that I'm fine," he pleaded to Shepard, not realizing how he addressed the commander. After a second she smiled as she walking up to him and gave him a hug.

"You had me worried Naruto," she admitted and then released the hug. "How is he doctor?"

"Remarkable is an understatement. Despite the severe injuries, he seems to have recovered in a span of twenty-four hours." The older woman stated, "but I would advise that he stay longer just to be sure."

"But I hate hospital beds," he whined, crossing his arms.

"Sorry kid, Doc is right. Just rest for a bit and then we'll worry about other things," Shepard told him.

"You're wanting to know about it…" he said in quiet voice.

"Yes, but you can tell us later just like you can explain why your pistol was smashed up. Now rest young man," she said as she forced him back onto the bed.

"Hey! I ran out of clips and had to use something to beat those buggy bastards senseless!" he protested to the Commander as she just merely waved as she left him to get his rest.

Muttering to himself he lay back down. He was going to need all the rest he could get when it came time to tell his story.

* * *

The last place Naruto wanted to be right now was sitting in Mordin's Lab with the collected 'team' packed in and standing around waiting for him to talk about the Kyuubi. How could he tell them that he's got a demon sealed inside him. Would they hate him? Would they turn on him? Would Tali-Chan still be his friend? Would Shepard want him off the ship? Would Shepard still be his friend? Would they try to attack him? So many doubts that he long thought he dealt with, came back to him and made him feel like he was twelve and scared that someone would find out about his burden all over again.

"You ready to tell us about your Chakra and why you have two types?" Shepard asked.

"Not really," he begrudgingly grumbled before quietly continuing. "But I guess you'll need to know. I just hope you won't hate me."

"Why would we hate you?" asked Miranda from the other side of the table in the lab as she was standing between Mordin and Jacob.

"Most civilians hate me because of it," he said.

"We are not 'most civilians' Naruto," Tali said in a strong voice, trying to reassure him. "Please, tell us."

Taking a deep breath, he got ready and knew that he should just get it done before he could back out. "I have a demon sealed inside of me."

There were a few minutes of silence as everyone tried to take in what he just said.

_I never expected that sort of answer _Shepard thought to herself.

"A demon, really?" Jack said from her spot near the back.

"Naruto, what do you mean by 'a demon'?" Shepard asked clearly confused. She had seen many things but a demon…that wasn't on the list of things she figured she'd ever see.

"What do you think I mean," he said clearly starting to get more annoyed. "A demon fox was sealed into my stomach the night I was born by my father who was the Hokage of Konoha at the time."

"Why would he do something like that?" asked Tali, slightly confused that a parent would do such a thing even if it was a real demon, "and what of your mother for that matter?"

Surprisingly, it was Samara who supplied the answer, "Because he could not ask any other parent to do what he could not ask of himself," she said and then looking to Naruto. "Am I correct Naruto?"

Naruto was caught off guard at the Asari's address of him by his name but nodded his head, "yes and he died doing it while my mother died during childbirth, so I'm told." Before adding, "though some claim I killed her," clearly showing it was a sore subject for him.

Shepard waited for a few more minutes before thinking what to do. First, she needed to reassure Naruto, then they'll move onto Mordin's test.

"Naruto," she started as she walked up and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know full well that you could not have killed her. I'm sure that just bad things happened that night that no one could stop." Though Shepard was really thinking _we're going back to Shin and I'm going to get to the bottom of this and sort things out for him. _"Now," she continued_._"Are you ready for the test?"

"I guess," he said then turning to Mordin. "What do you need me to do Mordin-san?"

"Just generate a field as best you can."

"fine," he said as he put his hands together and began to channel his Chakra. After a few seconds, the group watched as blue Charka exploded from Naruto and swirled around him like a blue-white ball.

"Remarkable," was all that Mordin could say as his instruments were collecting the data. The rest of the group was equally shocked as they'd not seen anything like this before, even from a Biotic.

"Can you use the second energy now?" Mordin asked.

"I don't want to… I don't want to take a chance at hurting any of you," Naruto replied after a moment of hesitation, "I can't take the chance of it taking control and doing something."

"Shepard, perhaps this would offer a chance to communicate with the entity within him." Samara offered before turning to Naruto, "Child, would you trust me to use a barrier while we attempt to converse with this being that is inside you?"

"I trust you but the fox hasn't talked to anyone but me in my head before," Naruto replied pointing at his temple in emphasis.

"Maybe it will in this environment. It will also give the professor a chance to collect the data he requires," Samara told him before continuing. "I will create a barrier to protect the others and facilitate the communication. I assure you that no harm will come to us."

Seeing the doubt on Naruto's face Shepard decided to step in, "Naruto, I don't hate you. I will never hate you. I would like you to trust me enough to see this thing in the eyes and know what you have to face."

She didn't know if that would do it but Naruto seemed to ease up a bit and agreed to the idea.

"I will then raise the barrier, you may begin when ready Naruto," Samara assured as she raised her hand to enact the barrier.

Watching him once again take the same pose, instead of an explosion of blue they saw a red energy bubbling out from him until more and more came and began to take shape. Mordin was again amazed at the data he was getting and clearly knew that this was more than some mere entity that was coming from the boy.

For her part, Shepard was amazed seeing the same form appear in front of her that she saw on the Collector ship. This time when it was done she could see that Naruto's normal blue eyes were replaced by Red eyes with animal like slits. "Samara?"

Using her biotic power to maintain the shield, she began to speak. "I am the Justicar Samara, by what name should we address the being in front of us?"

Instead of answering Naruto lashed out at the barrier trying to attack them and pushing upon it. Samara was barley able to maintain it, only managing to comment, "Such power..."

Seeing the trouble, Jack and Miranda ran up and added their biotic strength to it but even then, they were being strained.

"Damn, who knew the kid was really this strong," Jack gritted while Miranda just nodded in agreement. It was during this, that a second tail appeared and at this point the Omni-tool on Naruto's arm shorted out.

"EDI!" Shepard shouted, "Activate your translators and use the intercoms in this room so we can talk to it."

"Acknowledged Shepard," came the artificial voice.

Samara regained her composure and spoke again, "I again ask by what name we should address the being before us?"

Then, the push on the barriers stopped and Naruto backed off a bit and just stared at Samara for a moment before giving a very feral smile. _That is not Naruto_ Shepard thought seeing the look on the one in front of her and then came a voice that would send chills down the spines of everyone in the room for the rest of their days.

"_**Kyuubi.**_"

* * *

Author's note: And here we are, chapter 8 is now done. First off, please don't flood me with messages and/or reviews about the point where Samara notes "rasiengen" and say I misspelled it. This was on purpose and meant to show Samara's unfamiliarity with the word. Originally Samara was written in for the mission but I took her out and added Mordin as we haven't seen much of him as well as I thought it would be an interesting switch. The Samara-Naruto chat was originally very brief but GT suggested I should expand it a bit and so I did as I don't want to sleep on the couch for disagreeing with her ;)

Outside of that everything else was as it was originally done (even the Kyuubi part and I know that will set off a flood of angry reviews and Pm's) outside of a few phrase changes as I'm not ready to pull the trigger on a few things just yet and without those changes it would have done such. I also hope people don't freak out too badly over Naruto's use of a weapon but it makes sense for the story especially down the line.

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto Effect

Chapter 9

* * *

After talking to the being, that being the best way they could describe it, for a good hour, it became quite apparent that Naruto could only physically handle the power of this 'Kyuubi' for a limited amount of time. While it may not seem like a long time, they did learn a lot from it and discovered that whatever the people of Naruto's world have for a recorded history, it is nothing compared to the true history of their world, especially given the reference to the 'Ancients.' They also discovered that this being had only a limited amount of consciousness as it only gained a measure of self awareness once it was imprisoned within their young friend which left more questions than answers about Naruto, his 'chakra', and their past. With the conversation done, Shepard had yeoman Chambers come and take Naruto down to the Med-bay as the young man was exhausted from the experience.

Now the rest of the assembled members of the team were each silently trying to figure out what had just occurred. Of course Jack, in her usual tact and vocabulary, knew how best to start off the discussion

"Ok, what the fuck just happened here?"

"I have no idea," Shepard said before turning to looking at both Garrus and Samara. "Have either of your people encountered something like this?"

"Nope, this is new for me Shepard," Garrus replied with a shrug.

"I also have not encountered anything like this in my time and travels nor has any other Asari to my knowledge," the elder Asari stated.

"So, what exactly was it that we talked to for the last hour?" Jack asked again hoping to get some sort of answer.

"What bothers me more is that it's clearly hostile and is on board this ship. Perhaps it could be best to keep an eye on Naruto for the time being to see if it's a threat to our mission," Miranda added. "For all we know they could be in league with the Collector's…"

"Wait! You can't possibly think that," Tali cut in before turning to the commander. "Shepard, you've seen him on several missions and we've all talked to him. There's no way you can possibly think that Naruto is working with the Collector's much less that Naruto is the same as that… that….thing!"

"Don't worry Tali; I know there is a difference between the two," Shepard said as they all got quiet again, thinking about the discussion. "It even admitted to that much."

"It's curious," Mordan began musing out loud. "These ancients it referred to, could they be something like the Protheans or the Protheans themselves? If so, did they enable Naruto's people to use energy like the Kyuubi's as a means to mask themselves from the Reapers or is their lack of technology a result of their ancestors who escaped the Reapers while trying to avoid detection?"

"I suspect we could get answers if we traveled to Naruto's world," Samara surmised.

Shepard went into thought for a second before deciding, "No, I'd rather not go back there unless we have no choice. It was implied that Naruto has a death warrant waiting for him if he returned and they're not exactly too happy with me to begin with anyway," she finished. _Plus it wouldn't look good if I got there and started shooting people for the crap they put him through._

"We shouldn't rule it out Shepard," Mordan weighed in thought. "We could learn much and perhaps discover another means to combat the Collector's and the Reapers."

"I'll keep it in mind but for now what happened does not leave this room. You all noticed how self-conscious Naruto was so the last thing we need is for him to start doubting any of us." taking a moment to pause before she finished the meeting with a "Dismissed."

* * *

A few days passed and while things slowly went back to normal, as normal as they got for the Normandy that is, things didn't get any easier. It all began with a message that Tali got from the Migrant Fleet that she was being accused of treason and faced exile. That didn't sit well with the young Quarian and she had no idea what she did to face said accusation and wanted to go and deal with it before she was found guilty in absentia.

It did help though, that Shepard was putting off talking with the Illusive Man right now after all the mess with the collector ship and Naruto, so the ship was currently headed in the direction of the Flotilla fleet to get Tali there in time. It also helped that Shepard gave a damn about her crew and friends, which Tali fell under as both, so she was going to do her best for her Quarian comrade.

Of course, Shepard and Tali didn't count on their resident Shinobi to be also joining them in heading to the fleet. At least that's what it looked like when he walked up with his amour suit and helmet on.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shepard asked despite knowing the obvious answer

"With you to help Tali-Chan of course." Came the quick reply from the young man in his repaired armor.

"And what if I say no?"

"I'll go anyway," was his nonchalant reply. "And I will cause an incident when I yell and kick those idiot's asses for telling lies about Tali-Chan." He confirmed.

"Is it ok for him to come Tali?" Shepard asked, just to be sure.

"It's fine, I can use the extra support especially from that of the Gethslayer," she said, half laughing at the end.

Shepard knew there was no point in arguing, plus it would be easier in the fact that they could at least keep an eye on him. "Fine, just stay close and be on your best behavior and keep your helmet on."

"Hai Hai," was his response as the ship moved in to dock with what appeared to be the mother ship of the fleet. He also rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Tali at her use of his apparent nickname as he snapped his helmet on and the three made the short walk towards the door of the Quarian ship. Quarantine procedures were a little different than the one that Naruto went through previously, as he normally didn't feel the 'scan' that takes place when he re-board a ship. Finally getting through the airlock, they found themselves greeted by a squad of Quarians.

"Welcome back Tali'Zorah vas Neema," the leader of the group greeted.

"Thank you Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya," Tali nodded. "May I present Shepard vas Normandy, "as she finished her introductions gesturing with her hands towards the commander.

"Welcome Captain Shepard, it is good to see that you will be standing with Tali during this," Kar'Danna said to Shepard.

"I'm not actually a Captain, I never achieved that rank. I'm only a Commander," Shepard corrected.

"You command a ship, so among the Quarians you are a Captain in our eyes," the other Captain explained. "And I'm afraid that I must inform you Tali, that you are being charged with treason in the act of bringing active Geth to the fleet."

"I did no such thing!" Tali exclaimed. "I only sent back parts that were deactivated. I made sure of that."

"I know that but well, you'll see once the conclave gathers," He stated vaguely. "I must inform you that while you are here you are not permitted to leave the ship. I wish you luck, Tali'Zorah vas Neema," he motioned with his hand pointing in the direction they needed to go as the group to head into the ship.

Shepard and Naruto proceeded to follow Tali through the ship to the place where the conclave would gather. None of them missed the mutters from the Quarians they passed about how it is that Tali doesn't have a Quarian captain with her. They also didn't miss the mutterings of 'Gethslayer' as they passed but chose to ignore it. The ship reminded Naruto of the caravan's he traveled with during his training trip and the mutterings reminded him of home. He did his best to push those thoughts out of his head as they reached the entrance to where this conclave would meet.

Walking closer they saw a Quarian waiting for them who greeted them as they got closer.

"Welcome back Tali'Zorah vas Normandy," she greeted.

"Auntie Rann!" Tali called out as she went over and hugged the other Quarian before turning and introducing her Commander.

"Shepard vas Normandy please meet Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay," Tali replied before noticing something. "Wait, you said vas Normandy to me." she said.

"I take it that's bad?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard, they're stripped me of my Quarian ship name. It's essentially the same as already being found guilty..." she trailed off.

"Guilty before the trial…seems backwards to me," Naruto added.

"You said you'd behave," Shepard chided.

"Within reason Taichou."

"I take it this is the new friend to the Quarian people?" The Admiral Rann asked

"Yes, I also present Uzumaki Naruto vas Konoha," Tali introduced with a very happy tone.

"Well young man," The Admiral said. "You have my thanks for helping Tali in her time of need. Not many would have done what you did so know that no matter what happens here and no matter if any of the stories about you are true, you do have friends among the Quarian people."

"Uhhh…thanks," was all Naruto could say obviously embarrassed at the praise.

"So, how does the trial work?" Shepard asked, trying to bring the conversation back to its original purpose, "Does Tali have an advocate or someone to speak for her?"

"Yes, normally the Captain of the accused speaks on their behalf," Admiral Raan began. "There are no games, no tricks or anything like that. Just present your side to the Admirals. I will not be an official part due to my relationship with Tali and her father."

"So, that means…" Naruto started before Tali jumped in.

"That means that you, Shepard, will have to speak on my behalf."

"I'll do it. Tali is my crewmember but more importantly she is my friend." Shepard said before turning towards Tali. "I'll do my best to help you Tali."

"Thank you Shepard," was all the young girl could say.

"Oi! Don't forget about me!" Naruto interrupted. "I may not be good with words but I won't sit back if they start to try and tell lies about you Tali-Chan."

"Thank you Naruto."

"Well then, we should not linger and head inside as the conclave is about to gather," The Admiral said and she turned to enter the room ahead of them.

Before walking in Naruto was stopped by Shepard as she turned to him, "Hang back and just keep an eye on things once we go in."

"You think something is up?"

"I doubt it but I want to be ready and since I've got you here I might as well put your natural instincts and talents to use," She said to him.

"Don't worry Taichou; no one will mess with either you or Tali-Chan while I'm around," He finished as they walked into the massive garden room where the Quarian conclave would gather.

* * *

Taking a look around the large garden room again, he could see green grass in areas along with a few large trees growing inside the massive ship. It was quite the sight and something he didn't expect at all and truthfully it was nice to see. It reminded him of Konoha. _Konoha _he thought to himself. When he thinks about his former home his thought immediately go to one person there _Sakura-Chan _he thought sadly. Did he do the right thing leaving without telling her? He admitted that he didn't expect Shepard to take him with her and leave his world so he didn't plan on not speaking to Sakura much less anyone else in Konoha again. He has been tempted to summon a toad to take a note to Sakura to explain what he did and why he did it but dismissed that quickly. _She deserves better and now she has a chance without me there to mess things up. _Now it's been two months since he's left and by now he's guessed that Tsunade-baachan has been forced to label him an S-Class missing Nin. All in all, it means that he can't go back even if he wanted to or else face a possible death sentence or even end up like Sasuke and Kabuto.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts he realized that twenty minutes passed and could see that this trial was less about Tali and more about politics. He based his thoughts on just observing the trial and how it proceeded in front of him as some of the admirals acting as judges were arguing amongst themselves. It looked to him that the male Admiral on the right was favoring Tali while the sneering one in the middle was very much against her. The Lone female of the three has yet to speak so Naruto couldn't tell which way she was leaning.

It wasn't all that dissimilar from how Sasuke's and Kabuto's trials went except neither had an advocate and there were just the three members of the tribunal instead of the three with a fourth operating as a moderator here. From his spot in the back, he also noticed that the various people seem to also have weight on the proceedings which was quite different to him.

Some shouting from Tali got his attention back to the trial. _Show time…_

"What are you talking about? What's happened to my father?" she cried

"We've lost contact with the Alarei sometime ago after reports of the Geth becoming active and taking over the ship," explained another of the Admirals in a kinder voice. "We are under the belief all hands are lost including that of your father, Tali."

"No, this can't be..." Tali whispered.

"If it pleases the court, perhaps we should move the proceedings until later and deal with the Geth now," Shepard started. "The Normandy stands ready to assist in any way possible."

"We thank you for the offer Captain Shepard but at this point we must assume that all are lost as we've sent numerous teams to try and retake the ship only to have failed," Raan stated.

"But we have to try; we can't just assume everyone is dead!" Tali shouted with obvious worry in her voice.

"Perhaps you wish to go there to remove any incriminating evidence," came from the sneering Admiral.

"I want to go there to find my father you..." but she didn't get to finish her reply as a hand touched her shoulder. Turning she saw that Naruto was now standing beside her.

"If it pleases this court I would like to speak," he said/asked.

"And why should we listen to another human?"

"Actually," the lone female admiral on the tribunal, who had been silent through everything until now, spoke up. "I'm curious what the Gethslayer would have to say." she finished before looking back at Naruto. "Please, continue."

Mutterings from the gathered Quarians in the conclave of "Gethslayer" along with a few chanting "let him speak" could be heard.

"Please young man, introduce yourself to the court and then speak your peace," Raan said in her official capacity.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, former Jonin of Konoha, of the planet Shin303." He began, "On my world, an accused is given the chance of trial by combat to prove their worth if a charge of cowardice is brought upon a Shinobi. Is there a chance that similar to be used with Tali if Shepard and I joined her and we could retake the ship to prove that she's in fact loyal to the fleet and not a part of this Geth uprising?" he finished, hoping they'd buy his stretching of the Konoha 'Trial by Combat' law.

"We have similar laws my young friend," said the Admiral on the right who spoke to him in a friendly tone. "and I think it's worth a try especially given that the Gethslayer is going to be involved."

"Very well but we shall see if you three can do what our commando squads cannot," the Admiral Naruto thought of as being the "sneering one" said to them. "and if the Gethslayer is truly what the tales make him out to be."

"And if you should succeed, dead or alive, then your name will be cleared," said the Admiral on the right.

"Then this trial is in recess," Raan stated as the conclave dispersed and Naruto, Shepard and Tali walked off.

"That was quite the move Naruto," Shepard said.

"Yes, I didn't think they had laws like that on your world," Tali stated.

"I was honestly bluffing a bit. The law was similar but I stretched it and figured they wouldn't know the difference," he said. "I'm just glad they bought it."

Shaking her head, Shepard merely commented, "We all are, so should we talk to anyone or just get moving Tali?"

"Let's go and find out if anyone is still alive," Tali said as the three headed to the shuttle that would take them to the Alarei.

* * *

Arriving at the ship the trio found it to be very quiet. Opening the airlock they were greeted with the sight of a dead Quarian on the ground, one of the few to make it close to the airlock. Checking a few of the terminals as they slowly worked their way into the ship, they discovered that the crew became aware of the Geth's activities too late and the Geth quickly overwhelmed them. It was also during this survey that Shepard had discovered that Naruto had taken a new weapon into his possession, well, not new to them but new in the fact that Naruto was carrying a second pistol. She could only guess what he was planning on doing with it.

As they reached the mess around of the ship, they were greet by a Geth squad and quickly dealt with it as Naruto showed what the second pistol was for – dual wielding. _Leave it to a Shinobi to pull something like that _she thought as she watched Naruto practically steamroll the Geth on his own.

"No more complaints about the guns?" Shepard asked Naruto as they looked over what was left of the Geth they encountered.

"I can't use my jutsu in here without taking a chance of damaging the ship. Plus I don't want to take a chance of hurting any survivors here," he said, hoping that by thinking if someone was still here that maybe they would find them.

"Good point," the commander replied as the group moved out of the mess hall and near some labs.

"Anything in here could help you Tali-Chan?" Naruto asked

"No, but this is all stuff I did send back. I don't understand how this all could be happening." came from Tali.

"Don't worry, we'll find out what happened" Shepard said to reassure her friend. "Let's keep moving"

They moved into other parts of the ship and encountered more Geth but they didn't pose too much trouble as they checked more active terminals and more labs for anything that would help Tali and explain what happened on the ship. From the pieces that Naruto could gather, it looked like an experiment gone horribly wrong with the Geth getting loose and killing everyone. He hoped that Tali's father was able to get away or at least be in hiding for her sake. He was brought out of his thoughts when Tali and Shepard started to have a bit of a heated discussion about the Quarians.

After that had finished, with Naruto playing the role of mediator to get the women back on mission, they moved further until they found the worst possible thing for Tali – her father's body.

"No, no, no…" Tali said crying, "damnit! Why him, why did this happen?" as Shepard held the younger girl.

Naruto walked up and used a little chakra to check the vitals, just in case there was a small chance. He wasn't well versed in medical jutsu but he's been exposed to enough of it via Sakura and from Shizune's crash course before his training trip with Jiraiya gave him enough to be able to find something if it was there. Sadly, no, there was nothing he could do so Naruto just gave the fallen man a silent prayer before turning to see if Tali was ok.

"You alright, Tali-Chan?"

"I will be, let me check if there was any sort of message or something we can use," she answered.

Turned out they were right as there was a recorded message from her father telling her that things got out of hand and that she could stop it by heading to the next room and deactivating the main server that linked all the Geth.

"Seems like he knew you'd be the one to come," Shepard said

"I guess he believed I would," murmured Tali before she got serious. "Ok, let's finish this."

The three moved into the room where the server was held only to encounter a few Geth and one of the giant Geth primes. The smaller Geth were dealt with quickly, thanks to Naruto using his pistols and making kills in a single shot to their eyes. The Prime on the other hand was another issue as the three were in cover.

"Any ideas?" Shepard asked.

"I think I can handle it, but I'll need a distraction," Naruto said.

"Alright, we'll get its attention and you do whatever you plan on doing" she said back, showing a bit more trust in him.

As she and Tali drew its fire, she watched as Naruto had a pair of those kunai he carried and had attached threads of wire to it. He then threw them at the massive hulk of a Geth and while still holding the wire made a few of those hand signs and she was surprised to see what looked electricity go from Naruto and travel along the wire to the Prime and give it a large shock and made it fall to its knees.

"That's right, fry you big bastard, FRY!" Naruto shouted as he then raced to it, pulling the blades out and then stabbing each in its head. Turning to Tali and Shepard, he just looked at them.

"And that's how it's done," he said with what they guessed was a smile under his helmet as Shepard walked by him and gave him a playful smack to the side of his head.

"Ok, let's shut this down," Shepard said as Tali went and deactivated the server.

"Wait, there a file entry on here," Tali said.

"Do you want to see it?" Shepard asked, "We don't have to watch it."

"No, I need to see it, I need to know if this will explain what happened." Tali said as she began to play the message. It was a message of a few Quarian technicians talking with her father about asking for more parts form Tali but her Father refusing, saying he's keeping her and the Admiralty board out of this and that he was acting alone with his crew.

"This, this proves your innocence Tali-Chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes but it also damns my father. Shepard, if you present this to the trial, my father will lose everything. I can live with being exiled but please, don't destroy him in order to save me," Tali finished.

"We'll see once we get back," Shepard said and turned away "We better get moving before they declare us dead."

* * *

Arriving back at the main ship, the three raced to get back to the conclave as they could hear it had already begun without them there. Thinking fast, Naruto grabbed both Shepard and Tali and with a quick Shunshin he got them back to the trial in less than 5 seconds.

"We've cleared out the ship," Shepard announced.

"What! Impossible!" shouted the middle Admiral.

"Never underestimate a Shinobi," was all Naruto said.

"And did you find any evidence while you were there?" was asked to Shepard as she walked up to tell them what they found.

"Shepard wait, please, you don't have to… " Tali started but was stopped when Naruto once again jumped in.

"Even if we did, none of you would believe it. You made up your minds long before Tali even got here much less went over and cleaned up what was obviously an accident and had nothing to do with her loyalty." He started, "Go ahead and exile her. You think this will hurt Tali-Chan? She may have lost her father but she'll never be alone as I'm making her a part of my clan and she can live on Shin and be very happy. You try to bother her again with your politics and bullshit and I'll bring my squad here. You think I'm strong then you've seen nothing compared to me with my full team of Shinobi not to mention an entire village of Shinobi that knows and likes her." He finished.

"What are you doing?" hissed Shepard at Naruto.

"You don't understand," Raan said. "We have not made judgment yet. There is no need for threats."

"This isn't a threat. I'm just telling you that it doesn't matter what you say. When your fleet was in trouble, Tali went and tried to help and did in fact solve the issue and we learned that it was an accident. No one was at fault. If the fact that she risked her life to discover that isn't proof enough she's loyal, then nothing else will." Naruto finished.

There was a silence until many in the crowd started yelling in Tali's defense, shouting that she is loyal, how she saved them all from Saren and the Reapers. As the crowd died down the three Admirals made their judgment.

"It is the ruling of this court that Tali'Zorah vas Normandy is found not guilty of the charge of treason and is free to go. This conclave is concluded. Go with peace Tali'Zorah, Keelah se'lai," Admiral Raan finished as the rest of the conclave repeated. "Keelah se'lai."

Tali remained to speak to a few of the Quarians while Shepard and Naruto went ahead to the entrance to wait for her. While they waited Shepard turned to Naruto, deciding it was a good time to talk about it.

"Next time you pull a stunt like that, at least give me a hint," she said.

"Sorry, I just said what came to me. Though I was serious about the clan stuff with Tali, I want to make her a part of my clan," he answered and Shepard knew that he was wearing a smile under his helmet.

"Good, I would be annoyed if you were using that as part of your bluff, though I'm not sure if she's ready for marriage..." Shepard commented and lightly punched him in the arm.

"Whaaaa…" Naruto said in shock. "I'm not marrying her. I'm just making her a part of my clan. She'll be like family," he said hoping that explained it. _Guess I'll have to explain that to Tali-Chan too_

"Oh alright, I guess that works too," Shepard said as one of the Admiral's walked up to the pair.

"I must say Uzumaki, that was an interesting play on your part." Spoke the female Admiral from the tribunal, "I had not expected such a tactic from a non-Quarian."

"Gotta go with what works Admiral-san" he answered as Tali walked up to join them

"Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh, thank you for your help" Tali greeted the now named Admiral

Turning to look as Tali, Daro replied in a somewhat cold tone "I didn't do it to help you, I voted for what was best for our people" and then turning back to Shepard, "Perhaps you and I could work out a crew exchange Captain? I would love the opportunity to learn much from one of these Shinobi first hand"

"I'll think about it" Shepard replied as the Admiral merely gave a slight bow and left but not before winking at Naruto.

Once the Admiral was out of earshot Tali spoke up, "Knowing her, she'd want to dissect Naruto to see how he ticks"

"I guess that crew exchange is a no then" Shepard deadpanned.

"Ready to go Tali-Chan?" Naruto asked trying to change the conversation back to a happier topic.

"Yes but," Tali started then turning to Shepard. "Thank you so much for what you said. No one has spoken up for me like that before," Then turning to Naruto. "and the same for you. I don't think I'll be able to repay either of you for what you did."

"You're our friend, friends stick up for friends," Naruto said giving a thumbs up to her.

"Yes, though it was fun watching you both get worked up."

"Well, we could always go back and get you exiled," Shepard said laughing.

"No, I've had enough to trials and politics for now."

"Then let's go home Tali'Zorah vas Normandy," Shepard said as they made their way back to the airlock where the Normandy was docked.

"By the way Naruto, I hope you know full well I'm not ready for marriage yet," Tali said in a matter of fact voice.

Many of the Quarians were surprised at hearing the vaunted Commander Shepard burst out into laughter while Naruto merely groaned during the walk back to their ship.

* * *

Author's note: Yes, I am back and please excuse this very long note as I've got quite a bit to talk about right now.

So, why the long delay, you ask? Basically, the delay came about due to a perfect storm of time and getting busy along with a rare chance that both GT and I had vacation time come up at the same moment so we took it and sadly the story got put on hold because of it. Add to it that GT was very very slow in getting back into editing and now we're here. I won't get into my annoyance at a specific reviewer who left a very poorly worded review and then blocked me when I wanted clarification as a reason for the slowdown either. Essentially, I'll just leave this as my message to that person - My story, my rules, think you can do better then write your own.

Oh well, at least I'm still going at it right?

Now, as for the last chapter and things that people had issues with that need to be addressed – everything was intentional. Mordin's speech patterns, Kyuubi's take-over/lashing out, intentional, the pacing of the story in general is intentional. In fact, pretty much if you encounter something that's odd to you like what happened in chapter 8 then take it as I'm doing it intentionally. I'm not an author that will drop hints at something and not give you the proper payoff. Trust me a little bit as you've followed me this far and take that leap of faith with me for the rest of our run. If you really think there's something up – drop me a PM and ask about it with your question/concern. At worst I'll tell you not much about it other than it being a possible spoiler.

One thing, yes I did neglect to give a good description of the collector's and that is indeed my fault. Give me a few more chapters and if you (the person who pointed it out whose name escapes me) don't like it then Pm me and I'll go and rewrite part of chapter 8 and work it in.

As for this chapter – Yes, I cut out the Kyuubi conversation completely. I did originally write it but it ran into major problems with the fact the Kyuubi was just coming across as too co-operative with the crew and there was so much "Pitiful Human", "Foolish mortal", "Alien worm" put in that it just didn't look right. So out went the conversation and in with what I did and I've decided to let you all use your brains and picture how the conversation went down. I've given you enough hints so I don't think you need your hands held on it, which is something I get annoyed at with other stories where authors tell the reader everything and leave nothing to the readers own imagination.

The Tali thing went down pretty much as planned and yes, I've glossed over a few things intentionally that will be addressed later on. I know dual welding pistols are obvious but there are cases where Naruto is Naruto and this (like his speech at the trial) was one of them. It's hard to avoid cliché's sometimes when your main character is one.

Translations:

Shunshin – short of Shunshin No Jutsu which loosely means "body flicker technique". It's a technique used by Shinobi to move distances at very high speed.

in absentia - Latin for "in the absence of" and is used in legal proceedings where the defendant is not present for the trial.

And that should cover it so thanks for reading and see you next time.

Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait this time.


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto Effect

Chapter 10

* * *

Three days had passed since dealing with Tali's legal issues and life for Naruto had begun to quiet down, or as quiet as it got for him on board the Normandy. Right now he was in his quarters looking over what equipment he still had from when he left Konoha. He still had some shuriken and some explosive tags, since he didn't really need to use them much, so that wasn't an issue. The problem was he was down to three Kunai as he seemed to be going through those more than normal, most likely because the armor on those he was fighting was much stronger than what he normally faced back in the Shinobi world. He also had no real way to get more at the moment since there were no shops that carried said weapon and while he could make some it was more a pain in the ass to do such then to just buy some replacements.

It all meant that sooner or later he'd have to request to head to his home world, Shin303 which everyone just calls Shin, and get resupplied. It was a trip he was dreading just because it was, as Shikamaru would put it, troublesome. While what Kakashi said to him when he left was true, that he would be a wanted criminal and if he set even a step into Fire Country, much less Konoha itself, he would be in trouble. But what Kakashi didn't say or at least fully understand is if the ally countries and villages would honor the warrant on Naruto's head or do anything about it.

He knew if he went to Wave they would hold off alerting Konoha about him though odds were that someone would spill that he was there anyway which would lead to problems for both him and them. Kumo was the same but mostly because the Raikage was an ass and Naruto knew the man would spout off his views on women, most likely in front of Shepard. Since he knew she wouldn't let him go without her and knowing her temper, she'd shoot the man and create an incident leading to Konoha finding out he's there. There was always Suna and he knew full well that Gaara or anyone else there would not tell Konoha but last he heard was that his friend was due to get married so he figured that Gaara being the Kazekage had enough problems without trying to hide the fact that a missing-nin showed up to buy some weapons. Iwa would probably do the same mostly because he helped liberate them from the Geth but two months probably isn't enough time for them to rebuild, much less having supplies for sale.

There was always Ame as Naruto could easily say that Konan would not do a damn thing against him. The problem is the rest of her people were not as likely to follow especially given the fact that it was well known rumor in that village that he was the one who defeated Pein in battle. Kiri was another option as the Mizukage made it quite clear he was more than welcome there no matter the reason or circumstances but he still couldn't figure out if she was just being friendly or if she had other intentions.

That line of thinking led to the fact that he still had trouble figuring that out with most women and it didn't help him that Sakura would throw a fit every time he spoke to another woman. It got to the point where he'd rather do solo missions than go on missions with her just because she would jeopardize the mission if he went to buy a cup of tea and the waitress would smile at him and Sakura would get angry about it, tossing the hot tea at him and storming out creating a path of destruction in her wake. But right now he didn't need to really worry about his weapons. _Deal with it when it becomes an issue, Shepard-nee-chan doesn't need the stress right now. _

The stress in his commander's life came in the form of Jacob Taylor who requested they take their current detour to their current location – some unknown world where the man's father supposedly crashed more than ten years ago. She agreed to help him but he had insisted that Naruto be left off the mission and that Miranda be on it. While Shepard didn't like it she agreed because at least it meant Naruto could be ready to back them up if things got out of hand. Naruto truly didn't understand Jacob's problem with him so he just assumed that Jacob was a stuck-up prick like Neji and Sasuke.

The opening of the door got his attention as Tali walked into the room.

"What brings you by Tali-Chan?" he asked the girl as he stood up.

"Umm…ya…ummm...can we talk?" she asked, very nervous.

"Sure, you know you can always talk to me," he encouraged, not knowing why she was nervous.

"It's about the clan thing, after you explained it, I've thought about it and well," she was saying as she walked up to him. "I would be honored if you still want me to become a part of it."

"Really? That's great!" he chimed. "Hold on a second," as he went over to his gear and dug up one of his clan patches off his jacket. He knew it would be a pain to get another one but right now if one jacket is missing one the world wouldn't come to an end. Taking it off he turned back to he and was going to give it to her when he saw she was standing close to him.

"Tali-Chan?" he asked.

"Before I officially become family there is one thing I want to do and one thing I want you to see," she said as she reach up to her visor and pulled it off to reveal her face to him. "I know I'll get a cold because of this but I figure it's worth it" she finished.

"You're…you're beautiful…" he stammered out.

He watched as she smiled, and she had smile that rivaled Sakura's, and she pulled him towards her and gave him a kiss on the lips and held it there for a few seconds before backing away and putting her visor back on.

"I've wanted to do that for a while and thank you for saying that, it means a lot," she said. "So what does it involve in making me part of your clan?" she asked.

"Umm…what?" he stammered, still stunned over the kiss but a quick smack to the head got his brain going again. "Oh, for now you can just wear this on your suit somewhere. We can't do the full ceremony and to be honest, I don't really know it or if there even is one since I'm the only Uzumaki that I know of." He finished as he handed her the patch though he got the feeling he was forgetting something. He couldn't help if this had anything to do with the memory issues he had after he managed to get control over the full power of the Kyuubi.

He had come to realize that gaining its power meant he could do almost anything and proved it in defeat not only Madara but being able to stop both Sasuke and Kabuto. Turns out there was a trade off – he lost part of his memory in the process. So far, it didn't seem like he lost anything important, at least from what he could tell. He couldn't tell anyone especially Sakura or Tsunade as neither would let him out of their sight if they knew. Still, lately all this talk about his family and his mother made him think he should know more that couldn't remember.

And all the while he could sense some chuckling from where a specific tailed beast was sealed.

"I see, so with this people on your world would know I'm part of your family?" Tali said bringing him back to their conversation.

"Yup and you can also call yourself Uzumaki if you want though people might think you're my wife for the first little bit," he said with a nervous laugh.

"That's fine, they'll get the message soon enough," she said before turning and walking towards the door. "I guess since I'm the older, I get to boss you around now? I always wanted a younger sibling."

"Tali-chan…" he started whining but was cut off by the girl.

"Nee-chan. I'm Tali-nee-chan now," She said obviously smiling behind the visor. "I figured it out aaannnd when we eventually go back to Shin, I guess it'll be up to me to deal with that little pink haired girlfriend of yours," as she walked through the door she said, "talk to you later little brother."

"What have I gotten myself into," he said to himself realizing what he has unleashed upon the world once again forgetting to ask her about the geth.

"Damnit, I forgot again!" he shouted to no one in particular.

* * *

A few hours later and Shepard and Miranda had returned without Jacob Taylor. Turns out the man had chosen to remain behind on the planet to assist with the crew who his father had mis-treated over the last decade. She didn't agree with the decision but she wasn't going to make Jacob stay if he didn't want to. Last thing she needed was for Jacob to get even more annoyed at the fact there's a Shinobi and assassin on the ship and do something drastic that would lead to trouble for all involved.

She immediately went off to finally have the talk with the Illusive Man that she has been avoiding for the last little while.

"Shepard, we need to have a talk," he said from his chair.

"About what? The fact that I just lost a member of my team or the fact that the last time you sent me on a mission I nearly lost a team member because it was a trap?" she said referring to Jacob.

"Well, there's that and I admit that it was a bit surprising to hear about Jacob. I'm sure you'll be able to find a suitable replacement," he said taking a puff of his cigarette before continuing. "As for the Collector ship, I knew it could be a trap but given the Intel we gathered, I understood the risk and I knew you could handle it."

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't pull more of this stuff with me," Shepard grumbled, reminding the man of what she earlier said to him.

"And I said I will do what it takes to win this war. We take chances all the time and we can lose people and I won't apologize for that if in the end, humanity comes out on top."

Shepard wasn't in the mood to keep this up since it was going no where.

"Ok, so is there anything else that you need?" Shepard said, still distrustful of the man.

"Yes, two items, one very recent and one that you can should deal with soon," he said as he stood from his chair. "The first is that a Cerberus science team has found and secured a derelict Reaper."

"A derelict reaper?" she asked, surprised to hear that.

"Yes, it was found recently and secured. On board there is a Reaper IFF that you can possibly use as a means to travel via the Omega 4 relay. We know the Reapers built the relays so it would make sense that they could use the Omega 4 relay with no problems," the man explained.

"Interesting, we'll look into it," she said, "and what's the other thing?"

The man went to sit down and put his cigarette in an ashtray, "It appears that someone or something has attacked Shin303." He said calmly.

"WHAT!" she yelled, "What do you mean attacked?"

"We don't actually know. A few days ago the crashed shuttle you left there began broadcasting a distress signal. An Alliance frequency that Cerberus intercepted I should add. The message was coded but from what we could decrypt it seems they went there trying to negotiate with the native populations and the planet was attacked from an unknown force," he detailed to her.

"I told you that those rumors would cause trouble," she said to him, "and now I'm the one who has to deal with it."

"Hold on there Shepard. Before you place blame maybe you should consider the fact that the Alliance didn't observe your warning and went there anyway. For all we know it could be related to them." He said." For all we know, they offended the Shinobi and they attacked their people."

"Fine, I guess I know where we're going…" Shepard said though she still knew it was his fault.

"I suppose so, because after all, it is up to you how you handle this," he said as the transmission ended.

Reaching up to grab the bridge of her nose she really didn't need this.

"Joker, set a course for Shin and tell everyone to meet me here in ten minutes," she ordered via the comm link in the room.

This was not going to be a pleasant briefing.

* * *

Looking out his window Naruto could see the blue orb that was Shin303 outside the window. Down there was his former home, a former home that was recently attacked by an unknown. He couldn't help but feel that it was his fault that it happened even though he didn't fully know who was behind the attack.

"Naruto, Commander Shepard would like you to head to the shuttle deck," came Kelly's voice over the intercom.

"Thanks. I'll be right there Kelly-Chan," he said as he got up and got what gear he needed.

He was surprised to hear her talk to him again as she usually just leaves it at that, "Please be careful down there."

"Don't worry Kelly-Chan, I'll be fine," he said as he left his room and made his way to the shuttle deck. Walking into the elevator, he hoped he could hide how nervous he actually was, the fact is that things could easily go bad for all of them if they encounter any Konoha shinobi. Reaching the deck, he saw both Shepard and Tali waiting for him by the shuttle, though he was surprised that Tali was there as he expected that Garrus or someone else would be going along.

"Ready to go?" Tali asked in her usual friendly tone.

"Yup, let's get going," he said as they boarded the shuttle and head down to the world.

Naruto was barely paying attention at this point, going into full paranoid Shinobi mode as the shuttle began its descent to the world below. Already he was trying to come up with several ideas and plans should something happen, mostly surrounding how he could protect Shepard and Tali. He doubted they'd be targeted but he couldn't take a chance, especially if Tsunade-baachan decided that they were responsible for him leaving. The best case scenario would be they find any survivors of the Alliance people and get out of Fire Country as quickly as possible.

A kick to his shin made him realize he was ignoring Tali, "What?" he asked in confusion.

"I said, are you nervous about going back there"

"I'd be lying if I said no, but I'm not sure how I feel," he admitted.

"Don't worry, if we're lucky everyone will be by the shuttle and we'll grab them and go and then figure out who attacked where and how best to deal with it," Shepard replied.

"And if things don't go like that?" Naruto asked, "I'm worried about you and Tali-Chan and if things go wrong…"

"Don't worry about us little brother" Tali started with a giggle, "We're big girls, and we can take care of ourselves ,even against the big bad shinobi."

Shepard watched as Naruto's mood lightened a bit after that remark as he stuck his tongue out at the Quarian beside him. Truthfully Shepard was nervous herself as she really didn't expect to come back here for quite some time. Now they face an attack of unknown origin and with Alliance roaming around, things could get dicey very quickly for all parties. What was worst, she easily could see things falling apart, especially if Naruto's village catches wind that they're back there. Naruto was correct; things could be bad for her given that his village probably holds her directly responsible for his leaving. If Tsunade is as protective over Naruto as she appeared to be, then the woman wouldn't hesitate to take it out on Shepard and Tali. Add to that Shepard's own anger towards them for all the lies and nonsense they put Naruto through and it's just a bad situation waiting to happen.

_Just deal with it when we have to_ she thought to herself as she leaned back waiting for the shuttle to reach the crash site.

* * *

The only sound the three heard was the shuttle lifting off as they walked towards the crash site. Shepard could have sworn that the downed transport was completely inoperable and thus why they didn't do anything about it before they left but it seems someone was able to get the comm system working enough to send out a distress signal.

Walking closer they were stopped by someone jumping out of the shuttle with an assault rifle, causing Shepard and Tali to draw their weapons while Naruto merely observed a dark haired woman

"Not another step forward…Shepard? Is that you?" she said to them with a clear look of shock and surprise as she slowly lowered her weapon.

"Ashley?" Shepard started.

"Williams?" Tali finished.

"I take it you all know each other?" Naruto asked being the odd one out here.

"Naruto, Ashley used to be a part of Shepard's crew on the original Normandy" Tali started to explain, "then things happened..." but was cut off by Ashley.

"Things happened Tali? Shepard vanished for two years and we all thought she was dead. Then she comes back and is working for Cerberus and now it seems she's dragged you into this. That's a little more than 'things happening'."

"Ash, I told you the last time I'm not working for Cerberus. They healed me and it took two years to do that. Now I'm only with them because they have given me the resources to deal with the Collector's," Shepard tried explaining to her friend again. _Come on Ash, think instead of being angry._

"She's not lying Williams," Tali said hoping to help diffuse the situation. "We've been trying to track down and stop the Collector's and not doing the stuff that Cerberus did when we first encountered them."

"Then explain why the diplomats and my team got killed when we came here a week ago and the Collector's showed up and attacked the village we were in. Explain why I barely managed to get out when those Shinobi started attacking me and killed the rest of my team saying we brought them to their village. Explain why the Collector's weren't taking people but screaming, 'Counter, we must find a Counter' the entire time." Ashley shouted, getting more and more upset as she spoke.

"I don't know Ash, but I'm here to find out but first I'm here to help you, so why don't we calm down and try talking instead of pointing guns at each other," Shepard negotiated.

"You're Cerberus and I don't trust CERBERUS!" Ashley shouted again, raising her gun in challenge.

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Naruto shouted as he jumped in between Shepard and Williams. "BOTH OF YOU STOP BEING IDIOTS!" as his reach out and grabbed both their weapons from them before turning to Ashley.

"You, you are Taichou's friend. Friends don't act like this. Friends forgive and listen." Then turning to Shepard," and you, try seeing it from her point of view. If you thought she died and then she came back a few years after wouldn't you think something strange is going on?"

Both women were stunned while Tali kept trying not to laugh at Naruto's unique way of solving the problem.

"Now, say you're sorry to each other and we all can be friends again," he said. He crossed his arms and nodded his head a few times for the added effect.

Shaking her head Shepard was the first to speak, "He is right, no matter what happens I'm still your friend and I'm sorry if it hurt you. I can honestly say I never intended for it to happen and my first thought was to find you and everyone else again."

"I know Shepard, I know and I'm sorry for not listening. I was just…you know…" Ashley started in her way to trying to apologize but being embarrassed by it way.

"Ya, I know, so we good again?" Shepard asked, offering her hand. "There's always a spot for you on the Normandy."

Hesitating for a second, Ashley then reached out and took it. "We're good skipper and it's good to know I have a place because after this, I don't think I want to be with the Alliance much longer after what happened here."

"Good, we're all friends again," Tali said. "So Williams, which village were you dealing with?"

"It was not far from here, ko...kono...kono" but she was cut off by Naruto.

"Konoha…" was all he said.

"yes, that was the name of the village," she said in response and could see that Shepard and Tali both looked quite concerned. "I take it there is something wrong with that?"

"It wasn't our first choice of places to deal with when we came back here," Tali said.

Turning to Naruto, Shepard decided to let him make the decision, "Your call, we go there or do something else?"

Taking a deep breath Naruto knew he can't run away form this, especially if they were attacked by the Collector bastards. "Let's go and see how pissed they are with me," as he turned form the three women and began walking in the direction of the village.

"Joker, we're heading for Konaha, have the shuttle on standby; we may need a quick exit," she signaled to the Normandy.

Turning to Shepard, Ashley had to ask the question "Who is he skipper?"

"That's Uzumaki Naruto," she replied, "that's the Gethslayer." She finished as she saw Naruto cringe at the use of his unofficial nickname.

* * *

Ashley Williams explained why she thought they were, as she put it, screwed as they entered into the trail that led to the village. Turns out things didn't clam down and the Shinobi were very distrustful to all 'off worlders' along with them asking for any information on Naruto's whereabouts as he's wanted by the village. Naruto figured that meant he was listed as a missing-nin, so it meant his plans for getting through this had somewhat changed. He also learned that Ashley herself wasn't that popular as she was only put on this mission because of her previous association with Shepard. It was made clear that Shepard was a sore subject within the village given what Ashley described as the 'leader' of the village, meaning Tsunade baa-chan, along with her 'pink haired assistant', Sakura-chan, who in her words 'kept giving me the evil eye' during any and all meeting Williams was near. Ashley was just happen they could never corner her long enough to talk privately despite trying a few times to do such.

Now he had to take a chance and gamble on Tsunade's honor along with the idea she'd hear him out and hope he can at least secure Shepard's, Tali's and Ashley's freedom given that there's no way around not dealing with Konoha anymore. _Looks like I'll have to take a page out of your book Ero-Sennin_ he thought as he looked behind and noticed that Ashley was on edge. It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice.

"What's wrong" Tali asked the other woman.

"It's weird. The last time I was here we barely got into these woods without being greeted by their Shinobi." Ashley said, "Now we're more than halfway through and still nothing"

"They know we're here, they knew the moment we stepped into the forest," Naruto said. "They just don't know what to do because I'm with you and they don't want to fully engage me."

"What's that mean?" Ashley said clearly confused.

"Naruto's joining of the crew wasn't exactly a mutual decision and to them he's essentially a traitor," Shepard explained. "He's likely facing a death warrant even being here and he was also one of thir best Shinobi."

"I still am the best!" Naruto said in a defensive tone

"Damn, so you're basically walking into an execution?" Ashley asked stunned, "You can't be alright with this Shepard?"

"It's not necessarily an execution Ashley-chan," he explained, ignoring her look at being called 'Ashley-chan', "It's generally left to the Hokage's discretion how to handle the punishment. I didn't hurt anyone by leaving nor did I join a rival village but given my status at the time and the amount of secrets I know, I won't get off with a slap to the wrist," before sighing and saying. "I just hope Baa-chan isn't too pissed with me."

"I'd be more worry about that Sakura girl than the entire village, if I were you little brother," Tali said.

"Little brother?" Ashley said, clearly realizing she was missing something as they talked but realizing that her question was lost as they emerged from the forest by the gates to see a large group of Shinobi standing there waiting for them. They could also see smoke still rising from the village beyond the walls so Naruto knew they must still be on high alert and thus why the large 'greeting party.'

He then noticed who was in fact in the lead of this group as Kakashi's grey hair stood out along with noticing that Yamato was standing by him as well. _Guess they're covering all the bases with both Kakashi and Yamato sensei here_ he thought.

Walking closer he could hear weapons being drawn as the three women behind him drew their guns and were ready for a fight.

"Weapons down, we don't want to start anything," he whispered to them.

"Like Hell, I don't trust them," Ashley said.

"Taichou, I can get you in so you can talk but we need to do this my way," He started. "It's just like how I dealt with helping Tali-nee-chan."

"Weapons down," Shepard commanded. "But I reserve the right to change my mind," she finished as Naruto nodded and looked ahead at the gathered Shinobi.

Looking right at Kakashi, Naruto decided to start the conversation, "Good to see you again Kakashi-Sensei."

Nodding at him Kakashi responded, "Naruto, you know full well what is waiting for you if you ever returned," Before looking at Ashley. "and I see you are in the habit of keeping poor company. Are you aware that the dark haired woman was a part of the attack against us?"

"BULLSHIT!" Ashley shouted before Naruto raised his hand to stop from saying more.

"Sensei, I give you my word that Ashley-Chan had nothing to do with the attack. The village was attacked by the Collector's and not her or her people. They were as much victims of the attack as you were."

"and why should I believe a word of a missing-nin?"

"Because I've never lied to you or Baa-chan before and I'm not lying now." Naruto started and wasn't surprised to hear a few gasps from behind him. "Also, because I'm going to surrender to you now without a fight. No games, no tricks. You do as I ask and I'll come quietly and accept whatever punishment Hokage-Sama deems fit"

"You better be right on this," Shepard whispered to him.

"Trust me Taichou, we'll be fine," Naruto whispered back not letting on he was crossing his fingers about this.

He watched as a runner appeared beside Kakashi and began talking into the man's ear. _Guess Baa-Chan's willing to listen_ he thought as it appeared his gamble here may be paying off.

"What exactly do you want Naruto?" Kakashi said as the runner vanished, "Please don't let it be Ramen related."

Taking a breath "I want to your word that no Shinobi will harm the three behind me while they are here and that Tsunade-sama will meet with them and hear what they have to say," he finished.

"What are you doing?" Tali said, extremely concerned.

"Giving you an out," he said. "Worry not nee-chan, I have a plan."

The sounds of the gates opening got their attention as the saw Tsunade emerge with a pair of ANBU flanking her. She walked near Kakashi and raised her hand before stepping forward and stopping.

"Ok Gaki, I'll bite but I've got a condition of my own," She said to him and as he nodded. "You also agree to answer any and all questions we have for you. There's much we need to know about and you probably have the answers I want"

"Works for me," he said having a feeling she might have figured out what he was planning though he hoped she didn't.

She stared at him for a second before nodded then looking at Kakashi, "Kakashi, take him away quietly and send him to Ibiki for questioning." she commanded.

Kakashi walked up to Naruto and as Naruto raised his hands in front of him he placed a pair of handcuffs on him and led the young man away.

"That boy will be the death of me," Tsunade muttered as she turned to the three women, "If you would follow me it appears that we all have much to talk about." Then noticing the patch on Tali's suit, "since it looks like quite a bit has happened since the brat left for his grand adventure." as she turned to walk back into the village.

Waiting for a second Shepard also muttered, "He better know what he's doing," before motioning to Tali and Ashley to follow as they entered the village.

* * *

Author's note: And after what seems like forever we finally have chapter 10. The delay was partially GT being slow along with the latest chapter of the Naruto manga throwing a giant wrench into the story and me having to come up with a way out. Hopefully what I started to hint at here will help me cover that little problem and I'm crossing my fingers that it will work and no one would have any real issue with it. I'd hate to have to declare this an AU or worse scrap the story because of it.

As for the chapter, that's mostly setup for the rest of the story, it took me a bit to come up with a way to get them back to the village that made the most sense so I decided to bring back Ashley and use her to do it since I figure the Alliance would ignore Shepard's opinion and try to contact the Shinobi anyway and think that a former Shepard shipmate would be a good bridge. Jacob was originally slated to die and die at Naruto's hands when he tries to kill Naruto during a mission and Naruto essentially cuts him in half. Didn't think that would fit with either character so I decided to give Jacob a noble out and still have him around in case I want him down the line.

The Tali thing was always a part of the story and I figured if she's going to unmask for anyone it would be for Naruto. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone hoping for a Tali-Naruto pairing but all along I couldn't see them doing anything more than just being very very close.

Translations:

Kumo – short for Kumogakure which means "Village hidden in the clouds"

Raikage – loosely means "Lightning shadow", the leader of Kumogakure

Suna – short for Sunagakure which means "Village hidden in the sand"

Kazakage – loosely means "Wind Shadow" and is the leader of Sunagakure

Kiri – short for Kirigakure which means "hidden village in the mist"

Mizukage – loosely means "Water Shadow" and is the leader of Kirigakure

Gaki – loosely means brat or punk.

IFF - short for "Identification friend or foe" is a system by which is allows vehicles, forces and mostly aircraft (of spaceships) to distinguish friendly or non-friendly targets.

And I think that's about it for this one.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto Effect

Chapter 11

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was currently in a very foul mood and not because he'd been sitting in a prison cell for the last hour. After being taken into the village by Kakashi, he was promptly marched over to the Torture and Interrogation section and left in the cell. No, being in the cell isn't what's bothering him. What's bothering him is that he's technically an S-Class missing-nin, former jonin, container of the demon Kyuubi, the son of Namikaze Minato, trained by the great copy-nin Kakashi and then later the Toad Sannin Jiraiya and yet he's been left in a cell on his own with just a pair of handcuffs holding his hands together and from what he could tell just a single ANBU guard outside. _How insulting…I should be under at least triple the guard, I defeated Pein, Sasuke, Kabuto and Madara for crying out loud…_he thought to himself as he looked around at his cell. Had he not given his word he'd answered their questions, he would have broken out already and gone for a bowl of ramen instead of waiting here like a common criminal just on that principle alone.

He also started to wonder how Shepard, Ashley, and Tali-chan were doing. He hoped that Tsunade was at least talking to them and hearing what they had to say. The village could definitely use the help given the shape it looked to be in from his brief walk from the gates, _though at least it wasn't as bad as it was after Pein's attack_ he reminded himself as the sound of the outer door got his attention along with the pair of ANBU walking in.

"Uzumaki Naruto, please come with us and do not attempt to escape or cause any trouble," the first one directed.

"I understand," came from Naruto as the second one opened the cell and waited for Naruto to walk out of the cell. Flanked by the pair, he walked down the hall until he was led into a room with nothing more than a table and two chairs. Naruto realized that it was question time as he was silently motioned to sit down, which he did. The ABNU then quietly attached a chain to his cuffs and secured Naruto to the table before they then walked out. He began to wonder if they decided to play rough with him even though Jiraiya had taught him a thing or two about interrogations as did Anko during his time of being teamed with her. The door to the room opened and it seemed they weren't going to make him wait as a chunin he didn't recognize entered

"Hello," Naruto greeted the man who just put a folder down on the table and took out a paper seal. Walking over the man placed the seal on Naruto's forehead.

"This seal will ensure if you are telling the truth," he told Naruto. "If you lie you will get a shock."

"Not even a hello? Just straight to business, how dull…" Naruto commented, slightly annoyed at the unfriendly manner from this person. He also sensed the attempt at using killing intent on him but that wouldn't work; Naruto was long past the stage where something like that would bother him.

"You will only speak when spoken to!" said the unnamed man.

"But I just commented it was rude that you couldn't say hello," the blonde said in defense. He also didn't miss the muffled laugh from behind the mirrored glass on one of the walls. Naruto knew he was being a bit childish but this person deserved it in his mind given their attitude.

"I will be the one asking the questions here!" gruffed, the would be interrogator.

"Fine fine," Naruto said relenting.

"Now, what secrets did you give from our village?"

"None," Naruto answered with no reaction from the seal.

"Impossible, you must have given the outsiders something," the Chunin stated.

"Nope, they don't use Chakra nor did Taichou want to know anything outside of the village that she didn't already know," Naruto replied with no reaction from the seal.

"So, you're trying to claim you had no part in the attack on our village?"

"None, I didn't even know about it till a few days ago and we came here as soon as we did to find out what happened," though Naruto was really beginning to wonder about this guy. "You know, maybe if you bothered to ask the right questions instead of assuming I was behind this we'd get this done quicker."

"You will be silent!" shouted the man, obviously starting to lose his composure before taking a short breath," Now, tell us everything you know of these outsiders that attacked this village"

Looking at his interrogator, Naruto knew it was time to stick to his word and answer the question.

"I don't know much about them. They're called The Collectors and Shepard-taichou is trying to find their base to stop them from attacking people like us. I've only face them once myself. They are pretty much just walking bugs that have two legs and two arms like we do." Naruto started explaining, "They have flat heads with four yellow eyes, two on each side. Mordin-san thinks that it's just their armor but I'm not sure, they do have wings for limited flight during the time I fought them"

"Who is this 'Mordin-san'? Another outsider? Allies of these 'Collectors' like that woman who escaped the village?"

"Oi, Mordin-san is cool and a friend just like Ashley-chan is." Naruto said, getting angry with the idea that those he consider friends are being accused to causing trouble in Konoha.

"A likely story coming from the likes of you." The Chunin spat but in checking the seal noticed that Naruto was in fact telling the truth. "How are you able to spill your lies and get past the seal?"

"Geez…you must be new. Can you call in Anko or Ibiki? At least they would be willing to have a proper conversation and know that I'm obviously not lying." Naruto stated dryly.

"Demons are known for being deceivers and liars," He spat. "I should just kill you now and avenge all those that were lost to you."

Without missing a beat Naruto just turned to the mirrored glass, "Uhh…didn't he just break the old man's law?"

"YOU WILL ONLY ADDRESS ME DEMON FOX!"

"Riiiiggghhhtttt…" Naruto drawled as the door opened and Ibiki entered and looked at the man.

"Leave, your job is done," he said in an even tone to the chunin. The man looked at Ibiki and then gave Naruto a hard look before bowing to Ibiki and leaving.

"You know, you need to find better people if that's the future of your unit," Naruto stated, "Where the hell is Anko anyway? I'd figure she'd be the one to talk to me" he asked though knowing Anko, talk would turn into yelling mostly because she'd be pissed that he took off. Despite her reputation, he found she really was quite the mother hen around him after their time together.

"Sadly, you are correct. This was to be his first go and I was hoping that you would offer a challenge despite being agreeable to the questioning," Ibiki explained. "Still, excellent job answering the questions while getting under his skin at the same time." he finished with a smile to Naruto.

"Thank you," Naruto said with his usual smile. "So, is there anything more you need?"

"You answered the important questions so that's all Hokage-sama really wanted. She needed to be sure you didn't give up anything even though we all figured you wouldn't. You can go back to your cell now as you lived up to your side of the deal. "Ibiki told him as the ANBU entered again and escorted him back to his cell, "and don't worry about Anko, you'll see her soon enough."

* * *

Naruto was once again annoyed sitting in his cell and this time it wasn't for the same reasons. Right now he was bothered because he had been there for the last two hours and now he was getting hungry. Knowing he gave his word, he also realized that Ibiki said he lived up to his end which meant that he could just leave now, especially given they're still barely keeping an eye on him.

The growling of his stomach only served to remind him that his decision was made. A quick few moves with his hands and the cuffs fell to the floor. Stomping on said cuffs to break them apart he took a couple of pieces and walked to the cell door and proceeded to pick the lock. _You'd think they'd put me in a more secure cell _he thought as his wriggled the lock and opened the door.

Just as he was about to walk out the door to the hall opened as the ANBU guard walked in only to be greeted by a quick punch to the face from Naruto knocking them out cold.

"Sorry ANBU-san but food calls," he said as he walked up and lifted the mask, hoping it wasn't someone he knew.

"OH MAN! I hit a girl." He said out loud to himself upon discovering the ANBU's gender, "Now I'm going to feel bad for the rest of the day…"

Picking up the now known female ANBU he took her over to the cell and carefully placed her on the bed before closing the cell door behind him and leaving the building. Even though he did feel bad he was still hungry and needed his ramen fix.

* * *

Tsunade was sitting in her chair looking at the three women in front of her. For the last three hours they had talked about the attack on the village and how it could have tied into Shepard's activities. Once Tali gave her idea about the attack, it suddenly made sense, especially given what the Collector's took with them when they pulled out. _This is not good, not good at all_ she mused as she tried to come up with a means to protect the village while work out a way to protect Naruto. Now of course, she had sent for Naruto to be brought to her office so they could all talk and she could ask him directly about a few things that Ibiki's report had in it.

But first, Tsunade needed to clear something up with the three she was talking with in her office or more specifically, the young girl bearing a certain patch. But before she could ask a random chunin came running into the office.

"Hokage-sama!" he shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto has escaped from his cell!"

Leaning down and grabbing the bridge of her nose she muttered "Damn brat, he could have at least waited," before turning to the chunin. "We'll have to find him before he decides to cause trouble."

Shepard then just raised her left arm and activated her Omni-tool and it came to display some information. "I think I can help with that," she said as she walked towards the window.

"Oh, how so?" Tsunade asked, genuinely curious as to how Shepard would be able to track the boy.

"After an incident I had a tracker implanted in him," she replied. "I find it's the best way to keep tabs on him since he has a habit of wandering off." She finished with a smile and was a bit caught off guard when Tsunade snorted a comment about it.

"He gets that from his idiot Master, Kami rest his soul." the blonde woman finished with a hint of sadness in her voice, "Some days I think it would be best if I put a leash on him."

Not wanting to broach a sore subject, Shepard started looking out the window and then pointed off in a direction. "He's over there and staying put by the looks of it. It's about…"

"You don't need to tell me, I know exactly where he is," Tsunade said in a near exhausted tone, like she's done this before. "Shizune, please go to that ramen shack and drag the brat back here no matter how much he protests," she said in an annoyed tone.

"Of course Tsunade-sama," the dark haired woman said as she slipped out the door.

"Well, since we've got a few minutes how about we talk about some lighter subjects," Tsunade stated.

"Like what?" came from Tali.

"Glad you asked," Tsunade said with an eerie smile and she stood up from her chair, "Like why you are wearing Naruto's clan patch? Usually that can only mean one thing."

Before Tali could answer, Shepard stepped forward and looked right at Tsunade. "She'll answer only if I get to also ask a question or two."

"Ohhhh…" mouthed the blonde hair woman, "and what would you be asking?"

Walking up, Shepard slammed her hands onto the desk and leaned in to look straight at Tsunade. "Like why the hell Naruto knows nothing of his mother and why the fuck you and your village have messed him up in the process over it and for what his idiot of a father did to him the night he was fucking born?"

From behind Ashley Williams watched with slight amusement at her commander's antics before elbowing Tali and whispering, "And people say I have temper issues…"

* * *

_It's good to be home_ was what Naruto thought as he slurped down his third bowl of Ramen. After having arrived at Ichiraku Ramen he was immediately grabbed in a hug by Ayame who then promptly scolded him for being away for three months without telling them as he thankfully found out that the civilian public was told he was on a long term mission. _Guess Baa-chan decided to cover for me even though she listed me as a missing-nin _he thought to himself. After explaining and covering himself, it seemed to placate the waitress and she happily gave him a free bowl of ramen. Now he was just about to order another bowl when someone from behind him tapped his shoulder.

Turning to see who it was, "Oh, hey Shizune-nee-chan," he greeted before he completely froze _Ah crap…_

Completely ignoring the young man, Shizune looked at Ayame, "Is he all paid up?" she asked.

Ayame just nodded as Naruto was trying to figure out the best way to escape. He knew there really was no hiding now since he's never been able to evade Shizune if she's after him. He then felt a tug on his collar as Shizune promptly dragged him out of there.

"You're not taking me back to the cell are you?" he asked.

"No Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama wishes to speak with you," she said. "I just hope the ramen was worth it."

"Any chance you can let go of my collar?"

"No."

"You're mean," he said with a pout hoping that he could weasel his way out of her grip and get away.

"That didn't work on me when you were twelve so it won't work now," she said as they continued to the Hokage tower.

As they reached the tower and began the walk to Tsunade's office, Naruto tried to ignore the snickers from some of the other shinobi as he was dragged past them. When they reached the door, Shizune seemed surprised that there was no one outside the door.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura should be out here…" she answered, "I hope nothing is wrong," as she led Naruto into the office.

Upon entering Naruto tried to figure out what had happened in there. Shepard was seated in a chair with Sakura down on one knee and using her healing jutsu on what looked like a black eye. He could also see debris from what appeared to be various objects that were tossed around along with Tsunade's desk being broken in two, like someone had punched their arm through. Then there was finally Tsunade, who was standing up with a bit of a smirk on her face and what appeared to be a red mark on her cheek from what Naruto could guess was a punch to her face.

"Tsunade-sama! What happened here?" Shizune asked in her usual shocked and annoyed voice upon seeing the crazy things that happen in the presence of her master.

"Just a minor difference of opinion Shizune, no harm done," Tsunade stated calmly.

"And you tell me to be on my best behavior?" Naruto commented and earned himself a death glare from Shepard and her one visible and working eye. Tsunade could only chuckle to herself at the woman in front of her _Kakashi was right, she does glare like Kushina_ before deciding to tell Naruto what he needed to hear.

"Naruto, I'm about to brief you on what I just told your comrades," Tsunade said in a serious tone.

"Be strong when you hear this little brother," came from Tali who also spoke in an oddly serious tone for her.

"Ok…" Naruto said slightly confused as to why they all looked concerned, well all except for Sakura who wasn't looking at him at all while she was still healing Shepard's eye.

"A week ago while we were in the midst of talks with those from Ashley-san's Alliance the village came under sudden attack from an unknown force that was confirmed by Shepard-san to be these Collector's. Of course, we couldn't completely defeat them with their technology and other powers but we held our own." Tsunade stated proud of her Shinobi during the battle, "However, we were not without our losses nor did they leave empty handed. They took with them two prisoners….."

"No…." Naruto said as it took all his strength to keep from falling over as he realized who they took as they were the only prisoners held inside the village because they were too dangerous to be left anywhere else.

"Yes Naruto, they took the prisoners Uchiha Sasuke and Yakushi Kabuto with them and departed." Tsunade finished verifying Naruto's fears.

"Why? Why those two out of all people in this village?" he ask, not fully understanding why them if anyone.

"They were being moved at the time for further questioning about an old lab in the sound that was found when by sheer luck those Collector's found them." Tsuande explained, "according to the team that was guarding them after they were overwhelmed by the Collector forces they apparently offered those two a means of escape in exchange for hunting down and killing and I quote, 'the human with red energy'."

"Which team was it?" Naruto then asked.

"Naruto-kun that isn't import..." Shizune tried to say but was cut off.

"WHICH TEAM!" he shouted.

"Team 10 under the lead of Mitarashi Anko was in charge of the move." Tsunade began. "Yamanaka Ino suffered a broken arm while Nara Shikamaru suffered a broken leg. Akimichi Choji and Anko on the other hand weren't so lucky."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked again.

"She means that Sasuke attacked them all, despite being blind," Sakura said, speaking for the first time but still not looking at Naruto, "He did it because, according to Ino, it was the best way to send you the message that this time you can't stop him. That this time he wants to take away everything you care about before he kills you." She finished in a near sob. "He killed Choji. He nearly killed Shikamaru and really hurt Anko Naruto…"

By this time Naruto was on his knees trying to absorb all that was told. His friends were hurt. One was killed and one he considered a very close friend, a kindred spirit and as close to an elder sibling as he could get was seriously hurt. "It's my entire fault, its Pein all over again…" he started.

Tsunade quickly walked over and knelt down in front of his and pulled him into a hug "It's not your fault, never think that. Think about what to do about those two and how we can stop them," she told him.

"I want to see Anko first," Naruto said quietly.

"Of course, Sakura can show you there since we need to talk about other things and Shizune will be doing an autopsy on the body of one of those Collector's we managed to recover," Tsunade said.

"Tsunade, could I bring in one of my people to assist in the autopsy as he's studied their technology and is helping with counter-measures for their technology?" Shepard asked.

"That would be fine, I'm sure Shizune would welcome the help," Tsunade stated as her assistant just nodded in agreement. "I'll have a team escort you to a spot where you can meet with your team and bring them here."

Tapping her communicator, Shepard called up to the Normandy, "Miranda, you can head down now with Mordin. I've got a bit of a surprise for him…" she said as they left the office with Tsunade to meet with the team while Naruto and Sakura went away to the hospital to see this Anko.

* * *

The walk to the hospital was in utter and complete silence. No chatter, no playful banter, not even Naruto trying to flirt with the girl beside him. Just a quick walk as Naruto took the time to look around and see the village recovering again from an attack. _Don't care what Baa-chan says, it's still my fault. _He thought as they walked into the hospital.

As they reached Anko's room, Sakura stopped before the door, "I'll wait out here. Don't try to run off." She said coldly as he walked past and into the room.

Entering the single bed room, he could see Anko lying in it and the only sounds were her breathing and the beeping of the monitors.

"Nee-chan…" was all he could mutter when a hand reached up and took hold of his.

"Don't tell me you're going soft," came the very weak voice of Mitarashi Anko.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," was all he could say to her.

"Don't be. Most likely you'd be here now instead of me," she said and taking a breath continued, "You know what you'll have to do now."

"Yeah…" was all he could say.

"Then don't worry about me and go do what you'll do best and stop them from hurting anyone else."

He could only smile as he wasn't used to Anko of all people giving him a pep talk. She then motioned from him to come closer and as he did he got a very hard smack to the head getting him to say, "Ow."

"That's for taking off with some weird foreign chicks," she said, "now go and apologize to Pinky and your other friends and don't come back till you have those bastards' heads on pikes. Better yet, bring me their internal organs in alphabetical order."

Smiling he responded "Hai Hai Anko-nee-chan" and turned to leave before hearing the shout.

"And tell them to bring me some dango!"

* * *

Leaving the hospital Sakura noted where they should head as she had been told the place where the shuttle would be landing. Once again it was a quiet walk as she didn't even spare him a glance during their journey to the gate _Guess I deserve the silent treatment_ he thought as they reached the gate and saw Tsunade, Shizune, what was left of team 10 along with Shepard, Tali and Ashley waiting for the shuttle.

"How is Anko?" Shizune asked. Despite their personality difference she generally got along with the other woman especially since they generally agreed with things that concerned the blonde that called them, 'nee-chan.'

"She seemed fine," he said. He noticed that Sakura had walked off and was talking with Ino as she and Shikamaru had yet to acknowledge him. He then felt a tug on his arm as Tsunade pulled him aside to have a quick chat.

"Did you apologize to her yet?" she asked him while motioning towards Sakura.

"No, I have no idea what to say," Naruto replied as he really didn't know how else to explain it.

"Geeze brat, just say you're sorry to her," Tsunade said, annoyed that Naruto was being unusually dense about it.

"She won't even look at me Baa-chan."

"Just give it time. You hurt us all by taking off. You hurt her. You really hurt her." Tsunade said in her soft voice she used on Naruto when she was really disappointed by him, which was very rare," it didn't help that your friend Tali is walking around with your clan patch. We all naturally assumed you got married while you were gone for whatever reasons. Imagine how Sakura felt when she heard about that."

"Baa-chan, you know better than anyone if I am going to marry someone it's going to be..." but he was cut off as the sound of the shuttle. As it landed the pair walked up to join the rest of the group and they watched as Miranda Lawson, Mordin and Samara got out before the door closed and the shuttle lifted off and left again. Introductions were made by both parties as Samara started the conversation in her usual firm and proper manner.

"I assume that since the child is free that his legal issues have been cleared up?" Samara stated to Shepard, "if not then I am more than willing to speak on his behalf."

"I'm sorry, the child?" asked Shizune, unsure who the blue skinned woman was talk about.

"Yes, him," she said pointing at Naruto, "The child. Is that not what he is?"

"Oh no," was all Naruto said as he covered his face with his hands as he heard Ino try her best not to laugh out loud.

"The Child huh? I'll have to remember that one," Tsunade said with a smile. "Professor Solus-san is it? Please follow Shizune as she will take you to where she will be conducting the autopsy"

"Yes yes, thank you," he said as he began to chatter away at a mile a minute to poor Shizune about everything to do with the body as the paired walked away and into the village to begin their work.

"Now then, let us head into the village as it will be some time before they are finished and we need to be patient," Tsunade stated as she and the rest of the Konoha shinobi turned to look at Naruto.

"Hey! Why are you all staring at me," he protested.

"Probably because you are the impatient type, little brother," Tali said as Naruto noticed Ino give Sakura a quick elbow before saying something into the pink haired girl's ear. _Great, now I'll have deal with both of them when explaining me and Tali._

_

* * *

_

Turns out the collected group from the Normandy, Naruto included, were going being housed in Naruto's old building as Naruto up to when he left was the only occupant. It worked out since it was easy for ANBU to set up watch points to make sure none of Konoha's 'guests' were to walk around alone. Miranda noted that it was probably their way of saying it's the best way to keep an eye on them though Tsuande didn't exactly confirm nor deny Miranda's suspicions. Naruto did he best to play peace maker and assured the Cerberus officer that the ANBU wouldn't do anything as long as they were not given reason to.

Of course, this led to problems for Naruto himself as Shepard insisted on seeing his own apartment and as soon as she did it led to a large amount of scolding from not only the red headed commander, who sounded less like the Taichou he knew and more like a mother, but as well Tsunade, Sakura and even Tali about its state, all forgetting the fact that he wasn't around for the last three months to clean it. Finally getting through that and getting everyone settled in for the night as the next day would involve more talks, along with Miranda and Samara taking a trip to the archives to research some of the village history as they waited for Mordin and Shizune to finish what would be guessed to be an all night and all day job with the autopsy, Naruto was able to slip out and finally go for some ramen.

After-all, three bowls is never enough but he didn't expect to have his pink haired team mate accompanying him to Ichiraku's Ramen.

"Why are you following me" he finally asked Sakura who had been quiet the entire time they had been walking from his apartment.

"Tsunade-sama was very specific in that I should keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble and that's exactly what I'm doing" she answered in a not so friendly tone, "and you're paying for my ramen too" she finished, already knowing their destination.

"Now wait a second I didn't agree to…." But was cut off when there was the appearance of two people and a large dog.

"Yo," Naruto started in greeting to Shino and Kiba along with Akamaru.

"Don't yo us!" Kiba shouted, "You're finally going to get what's coming to you!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Sakura asked, annoyed at the pair in front of them. It had been a long day and she was hungry too along with hoping she can get to the whole bottom of what is really going on with Naruto and that Tali girl _Not that I really care_ she tried telling herself.

"Tell'em Shino," Kiba said, "You can't be protected anymore."

"We feel that in light of what has happened that old debts must be settled before the outsiders return and you obviously leave" Shino began, "Why you ask? Because the honor of our teammate demands it"

_It never ends_ Naruto thought to himself hoping that they would have gotten over what happened between himself and Hinata all those years ago, "What do you guys want? I'm hungry and want to get some ramen before Ichiraku's closes"

"We propose a spar to settle our differences. Us against you, no restrictions and no wager. Just a simple means by which for us to do what we are required to do. You would do no less yourself if our roles were reverse and Sakura was the one dishonored" he finished.

"And if I say 'fuck you there's bigger things to worry about'?" Naruto asked.

"Then we shall bring into question Hokaga-sama's decisions regarding this matter along with your mental fitness in including a foreigner into your clan. There will be others that support us in this matter and it would cause problems for not only you but your friends as well along with the Hyuuga demanding a political marriage between Neji and Sakura. "

"Hey! Don't you tell me who I can and cannot consider as family bug boy," Naruto shouted at Shino before turning to Kiba, "and you should know better than to threaten my precious people dog boy, especially Sakura-chan."

"Then you agree to the terms?" Shino asked calmly.

"Oh please, "Sakura started, "you both know that Hinata is just sore because Naruto rejected her. Just tell her and her clan to get over it and get over it yourselves," _Naruto may be an ass but in this case I won't let them pull this crap on him. Not now. He was honest with her and did what he thought was best and she's still being a cry baby over it with everyone _she thought as she recalled what happened years ago between the pair after they finally talked about Hinata's confession. On one hand while Sakura didn't see the harm of one date for the girl but she respected Naruto's thinking that it would be wrong to even give Hinata the idea there was a chance when he simply didn't feel anything more than just friendship with her. On the other hand, Sakura wasn't exactly ready to forgive Naruto yet, at least until he apologized, and begged, and grovelled a bit but this was a bit much for these two to pull – especially now.

"No! Not this time. Not since he's a missing-nin," Kiba stated while pointing at Naruto.

"Kiba is correct. Naruto is currently still listed as a missing-nin and our clans must question why he is walking free much less in the company of foreigners who were a part of the attack on our village as well as that of the Hokage's apprentice."

"This is nothing more than blackmail and you guys plan on using a spar as a chance for you to try and beat the hell out of Naruto for Hinata's sake," Sakura replied as she deduced the 'underneath the underneath' of what was really going on, "Naruto was right, Fuck you since there's bigger problems going on." She finished effectively answering for Naruto.

"Screw you Toots!" Kiba shouted not thinking about who he was talking to and forgetting about Sakura's legendary temper but before she could reach for her gloves Naruto raised his hand to stop her.

"So, I fight you two in this 'spar', you stop this nonsense and we end this crap between you two and me once and for all?" he asked.

"That would be acceptable but you will not win. Why? Our teamwork will overpower someone even of your level."

"Naruto, you don't have to do this. I can get Tsunade-sama to stop this…" Sakura said turning to Naruto but was cut off by his shout.

"I accept!" he said and then with his trademark smirk, "Let's get wild!"

* * *

Authors Notes: and here we finally have chapter 11 all done and done. No real reason or the delay other than GT was being super slow (thus why I can't update as fast as I want to) for some reason. I can't really ditch her as a beta either like a few have suggested in Pm's/emails. I really don't want to sleep in the yard so like you all I'm stuck waiting for her to clear chapters too. It's funny, people complain about me updating too fast now they complain about me taking too long along with heaping praise on other authors in this section for everything they do while I seem to be getting the short end on the stick. Oh well, nothing I can do I suppose, people are strange and all that.

As for the last chapter, and excuse the rant here – I knew that people here were fickle but given the reviews, messages, emails and other reviews I was pointed to in other stories it seems folks really didn't like that little turn with Naruto and Tali among other things. Lots of hate for Sakura too. Let's go over a few things – since I plan to keep the characters in character it makes sense for Naruto to still pine for Sakura since he's been chasing her since forever. Also, I have implied from the start that there has been something with the pair so this idea of it being "forced" is really silly and just unneeded. Finally, I haven't said if that's where it's going or even if that is going to be it since I haven't announced any real pairings at all. For all you know I could be planning on Naruto and Tali to change their mind or even doing a harem of gals with him despite GT's objections. But what do I know; I'm just the author...

ah well, ignore the above as everyone goes through their "I'm annoyed and need to vent" point and this is mine.

So, now that I'm done ranting like an idiot, to the three or four of you that are still reading this story, there isn't really much to tell about this chapter. The prison break part was slightly different than originally planned as at first Shepard and Tali went to break him out only to encounter Sakura and Anko planning on doing the same and the group getting to his cell to discover he left to go get some ramen. There was also a slight revision near the end since it really didn't make sense at first after I wrote it and sadly that meant for Mordin and Samara to lose some of their lines but they'll get them back (and more) in the next chapter. To the person who asked about the description of the Collector's I hope I did a good enough job in this chapter. The scene with him being questioned was extended to fit that in and I think it worked. Originally Shikamaru was killed as well but I decided at the last minute to spare him for now. Sasuke was originally not suppose to appear at all in the story but GT suggested him to at least be mentioned and thus I felt he'd make a good adversary for Naruto especially at this point in time and it's working out given where I am writing wise. Kabuto was another addition and it makes sense given how the recent chapter I wrote (chapter 21) has gone and the role he has to play in that. Can't say any more because that would be SPOILERS! and they are bad.

One final thing - remember what I said about that I do things intentionally. That means if something seems off to you then I must have a reason for doing such so either wait and see if I explain it in a bit or fire off an message to me before you leave a review about it. I may have done a simple mistake or I could be building to something within the story.

Anyway, thanks for reading (how many of you are left) and see you next time.


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto Effect

Chapter 12

* * *

"What the hell possessed you to agree to their terms?" Tsunade shouted at Naruto in her office, "I could have told them to back off."

After Naruto had agreed to Kiba's and Shino's demands, which included the fight being held in the next day, Sakura dragged Naruto back to the Hokage tower to alert her master about what has happened. Naruto didn't know why the girl did that but chalked it up to Sakura follow her orders about keeping him 'out of trouble'. Of course like all other of their talks of this nature, this one with Naruto and Tsunade started out the exact same, with Tsunade yelling at him.

"I know that but I want to get this settled once and for all!" He yelled back. "I need them to finally realize that they don't have to be angry over this. I need them to be focused on the bigger problem and not worry about beating the shit out of me for something that I may have done years ago."

"You didn't do anything wrong, it's not your fault they and Hinata took it the wrong way." Sakura added, not knowing if Tsunade was fully aware of the context of the issue, "You should have just told them off like you normally would have done."

"Do you think Hinata is behind this?" Tsunade asked knowing that the answer could complicate matters greatly if the girl was involved.

"Naaa, this is just them being idiots," Naruto stated dismissing the idea with his hands, "She wouldn't pull this sort of crap. Her family yes, Hinata, no."

"I guess there's no talking you out of this now?" She asked with a sigh and she watched him shake her head, "Then don't get hurt Gaki doing this."

"Don't worry baa-chan, I've got a plan." Naruto replied with his usual wide eye smile.

Upon arriving back at the apartment building, Naruto was again asked the same questions that Tsunade asked, though Shepard used more colorful language with her responses. He again assured everyone that he had a plan, which got a pfft from Sakura who was also in the room, and that they would have to trust him tomorrow before he decided to leave and go for a walk to clear his head. He never did get his ramen after all.

_Tomorrow will be a very long day_ he thought to himself as he left.

* * *

With the early evening sky overhead Naruto found that his walk took him to his old genin training ground where he was now lying on his back in front of the very pole he was tied to all those years ago. With his stomach finally full of the delicious ramen he was trying to figure out a way to get through to both Kiba and Shino without having to hurt them, well, hurt them seriously. Looking up at the sky he could still see the clouds overhead and realized something. '_Shikamaru has it right, looking at clouds isn't that bad'_ he thought as he heard footsteps come closer up him.

Moving his head slightly, he saw who it was and in his typical fashion gave the most inappropriate greeting; "You know I can see up your skirt from here." he said and promptly got a stomp to the face, care of Sakura.

"Ow Ow OW! My eye!" he yelled, "You're wearing heels and that hurt, you could have knocked me out or blinded me!" he continued as he sat up and missed her sitting down and leaning back on the pole.

She then pulled him back down and had his head in her lap as she began to heal the 'damage' to his eye and stated plainly, "stop being a baby."

There were a few moments of silence until Naruto quietly murmured, "I'm sorry."

She continued to heal him a bit more before letting out a sigh, "I'm not willing to fully forgive you yet. But I won't give you the silent treatment anymore," She said. "You're just lucky that Tali-san is a good talker and was able to speak on your behalf." She finished with a smile.

"You guys talked?" he asked, somewhat happy that the two of them got along and talked.

"Oh we girls had a nice long talk after you left," she said in a very scary tone.

Sakura wouldn't let on that Tali assured the girl, numerous times, that 'nothing happened' while they were out there. She didn't want him to know that she was jealous or anything.

"Uhhh…." He said fearing what they could have talked about.

"Don't worry, they didn't say anything bad. They really care about you, even Williams-san despite you just meeting her today," Sakura told him. "Though I guess I won't have to remind you that you shouldn't be stupid and wander off anymore just because you smell ramen," she scolded at the end. She of course left out how upset she got when that Miranda woman blurted out about Naruto's near death experience at the hands of those Collector's. How Ashley inadvertently added to that when she talked about how dangerous they were and how Naruto was lucky to get out in one piece.

She of course wouldn't tell of how Tali and Shepard and even Samara had been forced to calm her down and explained how Naruto had saved their lives in the process despite ending up in the serious condition either. _Now those...Bug things...are working with Kabuto and Sasuke and everyone is expecting Naruto to face them alone _she thought at the end, trying not to get upset again.

"One time and she doesn't let it go," Naruto commented dryly. "You ok?" he then asked noticing her concerned expression.

"What?" she said, surprised he noticed, "Oh yes, I'm fine and now you are too," she said trying to cover her concern. "Come on Naruto, we should go back since you're going to have a busy day tomorrow," she said as she got up and beckoned him to follow her.

As he began walking, Sakura grabbed onto his arm, which surprised him and said, "Now, we can talk on the way back about why you're no longer going to flirt with other women like other Quarians you happen to help and especially women named Kelly Chambers," her grip tightening around his arm.

Naruto realized too late that it probably would have been better if she had knocked him out.

Unknown to the pair, there was another person watching the scene play out. Tali watched carefully as the pair interacted as she still couldn't shake that longing feeling she had every time she looked at Naruto. When she accepted his offer to join his clan she thought it would be the best way to stay close to him.

Now, she is beginning to doubt that she made the right decision and gave up on him too easily for that pink haired girl.

_Forgive me Naruto but it looks like I can't give up on you…_

* * *

The morning came and Shepard found herself escorted to the area where the fight would take place. In the night Mordin had radioed that they had almost finished the autopsy, with interesting results and that he wanted to compare them with Shizune before leaving. Miranda and Samara left to visit the archive that the village had to do some research and were escorted by that Ino girl whom seems to be a little cold towards them in general. Reaching the field the commander was surprised to see the turn-out for what essentially was a simple 'spar'.

"Seems like the whole village came out today though there's no sign of Naruto yet," commented a voice from behind which Shepard recognized. Turning around slowly, she saw Kakashi standing behind her group and he greeted them with a "Yo."

"I'd say hello but I'm also debating if I should shoot you or just beat you senseless," Shepard replied.

"I heard what happened between you and Tsunade-sama so I'm hoping for a hello for now," he said before looking at Ashley, who was standing to the right of Shepard and Tali and giving Kakashi a hard glare, "No hard feelings Williams-san?" he said with his usual way of smiling, trying to ice over their 'misunderstanding'.

"I guess not though maybe I'll just tell Naruto that you made a pass at me and groped me and then sit back and watch the fun," She joked with the man but realized he took it seriously as he froze for a second, "I'm kidding."

"Oh, good. I don't really want to be on Naruto's bad side" he said before turning a bit serious, "and it seems this fight could bring out Naruto's bad side."

"Why is that?" Shepard asked, slightly curious at the man's comment.

"They may push him into a corner and if they do, he may be forced to react...poorly," Kakashi stated trying to avoid mentioning something specific.

"If you're talking about the entity your previous leader placed in him, we're already aware of it," Tali confirmed. "I doubt Naruto will be forced into that unless there are lives in the balance."

"He told you?" Kakashi said, surprised that Naruto was open about it. In the past, the former genin didn't like even hints of it being thrown about.

At this point in the conversation, Ashley Williams wasn't paying attention as she herself was wrestling with what she was told the night before. They were discussing possible tactics and escape routes should things go bad, even in front of the pink haired Sakura girl who seemed to be more on their side than her villages at this point, when Shepard brought up the being inside of Naruto. Naruto and Sakura both called it a demon while the rest said it was something else. Ashley herself didn't know what to think, her own personal religious beliefs conflicting with what she knew of alien species. It was definitely something she put in her mental pile of 'things to ask the Shinobi about'.

"Is that a bear?" she asked out loud seeing the giant white haired animal beside one of the two Naruto was about to fight losing her previous train of thought.

"Ah, so Kiba is going to bring Akamaru into this…" Kakashi said while looking at the three in the middle of the arena. "Now it's essentially become a three on one fight and no, that's a dog Williams-san."

"That's a big dog!" Ashley exclaimed, amazed at the size of this Akamaru, "and you don't have to be formal with me, just call me Ashley."

"Can Naruto take them?" Tali asked, now slightly concerned.

"Well, Naruto did beat Kiba and Akamaru in a fight long ago, "the man recalled. "But they've all changed since and he's never faced Shino in a spar much less a fight. We also have a case where they're going for the kill and Naruto, well…" he trailed off but Tali finished his thought.

"Naruto isn't out to kill them," She said plainly. _You better pull this off little brother; I won't stand back and watch them kill you. _She thought, ready to move should the need arise just like he did for her during her trial with the Quarian Conclave.

* * *

Walking towards the training field, Naruto was just trying to keep calm and ignore the growing noise of the crowd that seemed to have gathered before his 'spar'. _Guess word got out about what's going down _he thought looking at the obvious crowd that was ahead of him. Right now he was just trying to come up with a way to end this without anyone getting hurt but he couldn't find a way. There was one possibility but chances were that it would work for only one of his combatants and not both, which left him to deal with the other.

"Naruto-kun?" a quiet voice that he instantly recognized said at him. He looked over and saw the person in question over to the side of the road, trying to stay out of sight. Long white robes, long dark hair, gray-white eyes told him who it was.

"Hello Hyuuga-sama," he said to her, showing respect to the girl despite knowing her since they were first in the Shinobi Academy as he walked closer to her since it was clear she was trying to stay out of sight.

"You know full well that you are the last person who needs to be formal with me Naruto-kun," the Hyuuga heiress said to him with a smile on her face.

"So then, Hinata, what brings you by? Are you here to talk me out of the fight? I didn't think you would approve of this."

"Y.y..., I...I…I had no knowledge that they would go this far over it. They just started acting different the moment we all heard that you had returned." she stammered out suddenly stuttering like she was twelve again. "There's no need for you to fight like this, we can stop this before anyone gets hurt."

"Oh, how so?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, we...we...we can walk into the field together, hand in hand. We can tell them that things have been worked out and that you have agreed to marry me. Kiba and Shino will not do anything more if they hear that. We can then go back to our lives and you can fulfill your dream and become Hokage. We will send away all those foreigners and you can forget about HER as I'll love you like you deserve and we can be happy." Hinata said as she walked up to him and grabbed his hands and place them to her chest, over her heart.

"But, I don't feel the same about you," he said as he pulled his hands away. "I care about you as a friend but that's it. I told you this when we were sixteen. What you're saying is wrong Hinata. What you want to do is very wrong."

"You, you don't understand," She stuttered with a shocked and sad look on her face. "I love you. I have always loved you. She didn't defend you against Pein, I did!"

"And you nearly died even though I asked for everyone to stay away because it was dangerous." he said, starting to get bothered by this circular argument that's been happening for years. "I don't love you Hinata, not in that way. I love someone else..."

"NO! She doesn't love you. She's just using you again. She's always used you to get her precious Uchiha back. Why can't you see that? Why can't anyone see that?" The heiress demanded as she stepped back and started shaking her head. "She's done something to you. Those off worlders did something to you. That must be it."

"Hinata what are you talking about…" he tried to ask not seeing what she was getting at.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I will save you from all of them," she said as she turned away. "Kiba and Shino will break whatever Genjutsu they used on you and everyone will finally see I was right, you'll see, they'll all see.." she affirmed before walking away.

Waiting a few moments longer, Naruto just shook his head _Now she's lost her mind…_he thought as he tapped his Omni-tool.

* * *

Shepard was barely listening as Kakashi was still chatting away to her. For a second she thought the man was actually hitting on her, though she figured that he was probably just talking about mundane things to see if she'll let some information out. As she stood there, she saw her Omni-tool flash for a second before going off again. _Interesting_ she thought at Naruto's quick message/warning to her.

"What's up Shepard?" Tali asked.

"Just keep your eyes open and be ready," she replied to her Quarian friend.

"Oh, is there something I should be aware of?" Kakashi asked intrigued.

"No, but I'm the paranoid type and while Naruto may be one of your people, he's also a member of my team so I'm not going to take any chances," she said from her spot but not taking her eyes off the field in front of her.

"Ah, good to know, after all the question isn't are you paranoid, but, if you're paranoid enough."

Tali pffted at that and turned her head towards the man and only said, "With an attitude like that, it's no wonder Sakura says you're single."

"Now now, I was going to ask Shepard-san for a drink afterward Tali-san."

"No," was the quick reply from the red headed woman.

"Oh come on, I'll even buy you dinner from one of the many fine establishments in Konoha," he said in a playful tone.

"No."

"Come on skipper, free dinner and you can bug Naruto about seeing him unmasked," Ashley joked, "and you probably don't have to get all dressed up either."

"Well, now that we're talking about attire…" Kakashi started in thought.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Shepard yelled at her friend who was doubled over laughing while the commander's faced matched her hair color.

* * *

Finally calming himself down after his little talk with Hinata, Naruto walked out into the field to see Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru waiting for him on the other side, although it seemed like Kiba and Akamaru were in the midst of a disagreement from what he could hear as he got closer.

There was a bit of quiet until Hyuuga Neji walked out into the middle of the field, looked at both sides and nodding before raising his hand and saying.

"START!"

"Akamaru come on, let's get him," the dog user said but his companion just barked and wouldn't move.

"Looks like he knows that this fight isn't necessary Dog Boy," Naruto said to Kiba.

"You shut up!" Kiba barked, seeing that Akamaru was backing off, and turned to Shino. "Shino, stay back, I'll do this myself," he directed before then launching himself at Naruto.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino just huffed as she blew a strand of hair from her face as she looked out the window in the archives. She knew that by now the 'spar' had begun and she wondered how it was going. Part of her was hoping that no one would get hurt and that they would stop being stupid boys and work things out. The other hoped that Kiba and Shino would, but doubtful since everyone knows that Naruto could wipe the floor with them, beat the shit out of Naruto for what he put Sakura through.

She didn't want to think back to what a wreck her friend had become after the idiots departure. She also didn't want to know what turmoil Sakura was going through now since when Naruto reappeared with that girl in the blue suit and now sporting Naruto's clan patch. _I knew that hussy was after him..._

Taking another breath to calm herself down she looked over to see the two 'guests' and they were looking over various scrolls as they were seated across from each other at a table with Ino off to the side watching them.

"Excuse me, child," the blue skinned woman named Samara asked toward Ino, "but could please translate this part of the scroll?"

_I'm no child!_ Was what ran through Ino's head as it seemed that Naruto wasn't the only one to be called "child" by this woman. Looking down at the part of the scroll Samara was pointing at Ino instantly knew what it was talking about.

"Ah, this scroll is talking about the Rikudo Sennin, the sage of six paths." Ino explained, "He's the one that brought Ninjutsu to us."

"I see, and it seems unless I'm mistaken this says that this person just appeared one day and began to teach your people about chakra and this Ninjutsu?"

'Well, I'm not too sure." Ino admitted, "We were only taught about it briefly in the Academy but yes, his was a priest who appeared one day that tried to use his teaching as a means to try and end a time of endless war."

"That's seems to fit with what the being told us, maybe this person is one of those "Ancients'?" Miranda spoke up from the file she was reading. It was Naruto's files and Ino wondered what about it that they needed to know other than he was with them so they probably just wanted to see his record., "It would explain much especially given how Naruto and your people are essentially human yet you have access to this power and how the Reapers and others seem to be completely unaware of you till now."

"What being?" Ino asked clearly confused that something or someone else might know of her people's history.

"The one sealed inside Naruto" Samara stated plainly and watched Ino's eye go wide in shock.

"He told…you know..?" she sputtered.

"Yes, we're aware." Miranda just answered.

Seeing the concerning on the blond hair girl's face Samara stood up and place her hand on Ino's shoulder "Fear not, we do not judge him for what was done to him."

"Good" was all they got from her as Ino one again turned to the window wondering how the spar/fight is going trying to hide the fact that she was ready to lay into these two if they said anything bad about Naruto.

* * *

"Well well, looks like Naruto still has some luck on his side. Seems Akamaru isn't going to fight after-all. That's not going to look good for Kiba." Kakashi remarked.

"Why do you say that?" Ashley asked.

"Kiba's clan is well known for the bonds between their people and their dogs. The fact that Akamaru wouldn't fight means that Kiba's judgment could be called into question by those within his clan," he explained. "Especially given that Kiba was the one that started the issues between Naruto and his clan in the first place."

"I take it that this is all over that Hinata girl?" Shepard asked and turned to see the man looked a bit confused so she decided to expand on her question, "Sakura explained it to us the other night."

"Just means that Naruto has a better chance," Tali said watching Naruto dodge another punch and counter by throwing Kiba in the direction of Shino.

Down on the field Naruto was waiting for an opening but so far he didn't see one. He got lucky that Akamaru backed out but Shino had yet to make a real move. He hoped by throwing Kiba in his direction, that Shino would finally act. Instead, the bug user just chose to speak to his teammate,

"Kiba, we must change our strategy and use teamwork, why? Because we cannot win in a one on one fight with Naruto, especially since he has yet to use any of his jutsus."

"Screw that!" Kiba yelled drawing a kunai from his pouch. "I'll finish this right now," he shouted as he used chakra to speed up his movement and charged at Naruto. Naruto saw Kiba running at him and while he could easily dodge, counter or he'll finish off the dog user in one move, he also saw this was his chance and he gambled on Kiba's need to talk in a fight.

* * *

In another part of the village Mordin Solus was sitting in a chair in Shizune's office while waiting for results of their autopsy on the body of the Collector. Despite his initial reservations he was very impressed with the woman he was working with. She was organized, intelligent, effect and insightful when it came to examining the body. It was quite the surprise for him and he could see why Shepard became impressed with this world and its people.

"Mordin-san, would you like a drink. It's just water." Shizune asked with a cup on her hand, "I would normally offer some tea but I didn't know if your people could drink it" she finished slightly embarrassed.

"Its fine, thank you for being concerned" Mordin answered with a smile, "I can drink most types of human teas. Green tea, early gray, this interesting blend from Eden Prime, I enjoy trying new flavors."

"Oh, I'll remember the next time" Shizune answered with a small smile.

"I'm quite impressed; your facilities while different are quite advanced. I know of many people who would wish to spend a lifetime here. If we make it through this I would like to return and learn more about your people and its world." Mordin told the medic as she sat down in the chair opposite of him, "I shouldn't be surprised given Naruto's abilities. Do you know anything about his family?"

Mordin watched as the women shifted a bit being uncomfortable with the topic, "Sadly, I only know as much as most do. I am just happy to have known him for as long as I have."

"A shame, I would be curious if his power is genetic or if he's unique among you," Mordin mused, "He seems to be much stronger than most and I'm curious if it's related to his unknown mother or his father."

"You..know about his father…the Yondaime" Shizune managed to get out.

"Yes, Naruto told us briefly about it though he has no knowledge about his mother" and was surprised when he noticed the look on Shizune's face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all, just surprised he would talk about it" She answered but was really deep in thought

_Naruto-kun told Tsunade-sama about Kushina. Why would he tell them about Yondaime-sama and yet say he didn't know about his mother? Was he holding back information on purpose?_

Shizune decided that she should talk to her master about this as soon as possible.

* * *

Naruto had to even wonder to himself if he really thought through his plan. He just didn't expect Kiba to take it this far and actually try to stab him with a Kunai. Now, after he was stabbed in the arm while Kiba punched him brutally while blabbering about his feelings for Hinata. Now he was watching as the Hyuuga girl in question has run into the field and stop Kiba as they began to admit to each other that they both felt the same way for each other.

"I'm…I'm sorry Kiba." Hinata said before looking at Naruto, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I'm sorry I have been a poor friend to you when I couldn't see what I already had beside me along with you being there always as a friend."

"Its fine," Naruto reassured as he pulled the kunai out of his shoulder and tossed it back to Kiba. "Just be happy, you two deserve that much."

"Thanks err….sorry about the wanting to kill you bit," Kiba mumbled. "But I'm not sorry but beating the shit out of you," he said with a smirk.

"Fuck you too dog boy."

A cough from behind, brought the all three of their attention over to Shino who up until now was being quiet. "This fight has not been concluded yet, Why? Because while Kiba may have forfeited, I have not as of yet."

"Come on Shino enough is enough besides..." but Kiba couldn't finish as Naruto pushed him aside as he walked over to face Shino.

"Naruto-kun, you cannot fight Shino in your condition," Hinata yelled at her injured friend.

"Don't worry Hinata," he said before turning back to Shino. "I think Shino deserves at least a chance."

Waiting for Kiba and Hinata to back off, Naruto looked at the person standing in front of him. Truthfully he had hoped that Shino would back off as soon as Kiba had fessed up, and Naruto only knew about it because last year Sakura got drunk and told him about Kiba's feelings for the Hyuuga heiress, but it looks like Shino had other motivations.

"I applaud you on helping Kiba, Naruto, as he is my friend too but I will not end this now. Why, you ask? Because I have always wanted to face you down," Shino said in his usual even tone.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Naruto began to think quickly how to end this with only one good arm. Then it hit him _I can use it here. I'll get killed for using it but it's the best way to end it without Shino getting hurt. Maybe I'll be able to run away before she catches me too…_he thought as he used his strength to lift his right arm so he could form the correct hand seal.

"OIROKE NO JUTSU!" Naruto shouted as a puff of smoke enveloped him.

Over to the side of the field, a strong spike of killing intent could be felt from Sakura as she began to rant about Naruto using THAT jutsu. Over with Kakashi, he had been keep an arm on both Tali and Shepard to keep them from jumping into the fight/spar after Kiba stabbed Naruto but now he immediately released his grip on the two women and backed off claiming, "I have no part in this, it's all on him."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked, confused why now the man would release her commander and friend.

"You'll see," was all that he would reply with as he seemed to be backing off even further.

Back on the field, the smoke mostly cleared except for some vital area on the body as where Naruto once stood now was a long blonde haired woman with little clouds covering 'just enough'. Shino still stood his ground but the femNaruto could see that he was close to being done _Time to turn up the heat._

"Oh...Shino-kuuunnnn," she/he purred to the bug user and blew him a kiss.

That appeared to be the straw that broke the camels back as Shino began to sway forwards and backwards before falling back and passing out. A quick puff and the jutsu was released and Naruto knew he dodged the shuriken that time.

Of course that didn't last for long as he heard someone land behind him and feeling the killing intent knew it had to be **her**. Slowly turning he saw a red faced with rage Haruno Sakura stomping towards him.

"NAAARRRUUUTOOOOOOO!" She growled threateningly as she approached her prey like a tigress to her kill as she put her gloves on.

Naruto weighed the chance of running away but decided not to. "I deserve this," he said to no one, knowing that it was best to accept his fate. Before Sakura could reach him, a blue bolt of energy flew past her and hit Naruto, sending him into the air and then dropping him on the ground hard. Stunned, Sakura stopped and missed Sheppard as she ran past and grabbed the young man by the collar and started yelling at him.

"What the fuck was that? Who taught you to do that? Was it Kakashi?" she shouted as she took one hand away to draw her pistol ready to shoot the man who apparently carried a porn book with him.

"He invented it himself," Sakura stated while the pair in front of her looked at her.

"Traitor," was all Naruto could say to the pink haired medic as she merely replied by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Give me one good reason why I don't turn you over my knee and do what should have been done years ago when you came up with that?" Shepard demanded with a look in her eye that told him she'll really do it.

"Because I'm injured," he whined, "and because you love me?" He suggested with a goofy smile hoping to calm the woman down.

With a small growl, Shepard let him go before giving him her death glare and saying "You are never, ever allowed to use that again. Not ever, no matter what. AM. I. CLEAR?"

"Oh come on…" he tried to protest but was quickly cut off.

"DON'T YOU TALK BACK TO ME MISTER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" She yelled ever louder.

"Hai Hai, Taichou," he muttered meekly.

With a 'humph', Shepard crossed her arms, turned and began to stomp off the field. Sakura, with a satisfied smirk as she finally had met someone who agrees with her about that disgusting jutsu, just turned and walked away leaving the injured Naruto lying on the ground.

"At least I didn't get beaten up," he said to himself before he noticed a shadow fall over him

"Brat." Was all that needed to be said as he knew that the Godaime was now standing over him. He could also see the evil look in her eye.

"Momma" was all he could mummer…

* * *

Author's note – Lots of revisions on this one since I was never really happy with the fight so it got cut out for the most part while I left the important parts and added the bits with Samara, Miranda, and Mordin that was suppose to take place in the last chapter. It was also a good point to start on some things that come up later in the story so in a sense it all works and helps me out. Plus the rewrites gave me a chance to end this chapter at the original point I wanted instead of the one I wrote in, which gets pushed to the next chapter. This is also where I start to put a bit of a spin on the Naruto and Mass effect worlds so let's hope it all works and you all buy into it.

The Hinata bit was originally written in when Naruto was in his cell but it didn't come across well so I moved it here. My hope was that she comes across as delusional/in denial instead of being pathetic. I should also note that this is no way 'bashing" her in any way. I'm not a fan of hers per say but she will have a role to play later in the story. Can't say more without spoiling.

The bit with Kakashi hitting on Shepard was just for the pure silly factor as I thought "What would be the one thing that would throw femshepard for the ultimate loop? Ah, Kakashi hitting on her!". Truthfully I haven't decided if I'll go in that direction for a pairing but it was mostly for fun and give them something to do while watching the fight. I figure Ashley might be a bit over the top but hell, I've established they're pals and pals do that sort of thing.

And yes, the whole bit with Naruto using the sexy Jutsu was planned from the start.

Translations:

Genjutsu – Part of the three main (along with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu) sets of techniques use by the Shinobi in Naruto's world these are the illusion techniques uses to fool, disguise and control people.

Hajime – loosely means begin or start

Rikudo Sennin – basically means "sage of six paths" and as explained was the one to bring ninjutsu to the shinobi world.

Oiroke no Jutsu – basically means "sexy technique" and is a jutsu that Naruto developed when he was younger as a prank but later used as his way to dealing with "perverts". He has since developed a few variations of the technique. To say that the female population in his village isn't too keen on it is an understatement.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto Effect

Chapter 13

* * *

It had been a day later as Naruto ended up being hospitalized for the night. It wasn't because of the injuries from the fight but from the numerous beatings he ended up absorbing from the Hokage, Sakura, Shepard and now calling herself Tali'Zorah-Uzumaki. Now, fully recovered he found himself standing alone in Tsunade's office with the Hokage and Shizune in their usual spots.

"I take it you've learned your lesson brat?" Tsunade asked with a smirk to the blond hair man in front of her.

"Hai Hai Hokage-sama," he said giving a mock salute with his usual smirk towards his adopted grandmother.

"Well that's good, let's get this over with." She started, "While you were in dispose I had a few meetings with the clan council as well as speaking with those old fossils that seem to still have political sway here along with speaking with Shepard-san a few times to work out some details."

Tsunade left out the long talk over sake that she and Shepard had about Naruto's parentage and what they should do about it, especially given Shepard's concern over him not knowing about his mother. Tsunade of course kept quiet about what Shizune told her, trusting that it was just Naruto trying to keep some information to himself especially around a woman who could easily be mistaken as a twin for Kushina. _Still, she does care and that means something as it seems that Naruto has won over another person or in this case people if what she said is true about the majority of her crew being ready to come running to help…_

"Tsunade-sama, you should not speak of the advisers like that," Shizune reminded.

"Bah, it's just the three of us speaking Shizune," the older women said in dismissal of her assistant, "besides, its good news for the brat."

"Huh, really?" he asked not knowing what happened while he was out of it.

"Yes, and I'm happy to announce that as of this moment you are no longer an S-class missing-nin and that you are reinstated to your formal Jonin rank as a Shinobi of Konoha." She said but raised her hand to stop him from speaking before continuing. "Your first mission is to track down and eliminate the criminals and S-Class missing-nins Uchiha Sasuke and Yakushi Kabuto."

"I take it that means I get to stay with Shepard-san?" he asked since that was the only logical conclusion that even he could figure out. He of course had already decided that if Tsunade said no he'd go anyway.

"Yes because knowing you brat you're already planning on going anyway." She said with a smile knowing Naruto as well as she did, "Don't worry, you won't be doing it alone this time. You will be leading a full team on this one."

"Taichou agreed to this?" surprised that Shepard would be fine with more shinobi on her ship.

"I got the feeling as long as you were allowed to go with her that Shepard-san was willing to agree to anything within reason," Tsunade answered, "and before you ask, it's not Team 7. The clan council expressed concerns over shinobi like Kakashi and Sai being so far from home so it's a group of volunteers who are fully aware of the risks."

"And they're fine with me being the leader?" he asked, a bit concerned over his new team.

"They understand and I know full well they will accept your leadership given your experience with Shepard and her people over everyone else here." Tsunade stated, "And there's no way in hell I will let you face down that little prick and that four-eyed nut job on your own." She finished, raising a clenched fist.

"So, who's on my team?"

"I think I'll save that for a surprise," she said with a devious smile. "For now you should go and get any supplies from here that you'll need as I doubt you'll be back for a while once you leave with Shepard."

Smiling at the news, despite being annoyed over not being told who was on his team, he bowed and reassured. "I won't let you down Baa-chan!" before turning to leave.

_Go get'em Gethslayer _she thought with a small laugh to herself as he left her office.

* * *

Leaving the Hokage tower Naruto made a quick trip over to the quartermaster's office to resupply as he now had a very easy solution to his kunai problem. Making sure this time he took a few extra sets in some storage scrolls he then made his way through the streets of Konoha to his current destination, a flower shop to be exact. Reaching the door he stepped in the Yamanka flower shop and saw the exact person he wanted to talk to – Ino. He had first thought about talking to Shikamaru but ruled that out as his friend would declare it too 'troublesome' or would try to play games in order to get out of the conversation. Anko would be the easiest but she was still recovering and Naruto didn't want to disturb his nee-chan too much while she was doing such which made Ino the best and only bet to get the information he needed.

Of course like all of Naruto's best laid plans, it never seems to go as he wants it...

"Welcome to Yama…oh, it's you," the girl in question said to her fellow blond from behind the counter.

"Hello Ino, I was wondering if you had a minute or two to talk," he asked, deciding to try and be professional to her.

"Oh? And why should I talk to you?" she said in an accusing tone, "Last I checked you didn't have time for women from Konoha anymore much less wanted anything to do with them."

Rather than fall for her trap, Naruto decided to ignore her verbal jab, "because I need to know what exactly happened when Anko and your team was attacked while moving the prisoners and why exactly Sasuke and Kabuto agreed to go with them."

He saw the girl's eyes widened a bit, and he figured she might have recalled the memory, and then stepping back showing that it wasn't a pleasant one. Even if he didn't learn a thing about reading people from Jiraiya and Anko, he did learn about it from dealing with Tali for the last few months. Subtle movements to make up for covered faces were a common thing for Quarians so for him reading someone as emotional as Ino was nothing.

"I'm sorry Ino, I didn't know it bothered you so much," he murmured, realizing that she wasn't ready to talk about it. "You don't have to say anything. It really doesn't matter," he said before turning to leave but Ino grabbed him by the arm to stop.

"No!" she started, "you're….you're right. You need to know and it wasn't exactly in the report."

She then walked past him to the door of the shop and locked it then turning the sign to display 'closed' to the outside. Turning back to face him she had a determined look directed right at him.

"Sakura may forgive you for running off with those women easily, but I won't." She started, "But I do know that you need to know and you're the only one that can stop those two."

She walked towards him and said a quick "follow me," as she led him into a back room. As soon as they reach it, she pulled out a pair of chairs and motioned for Naruto to sit in one as she sat across from him in the other.

"I'm going to do one of my family's jutsu's," she started to explain. "Instead of me going into your head to see what you saw, you'll see what I saw. It's the best way and better than me trying to put it into words."

"As long as you're ok with it Ino," Naruto said, concerned for his friend even if she was mad at him. "We don't have to do this."

"No, this is the best way," She stated, taking off Naruto's forehead protector. "You'll feel a tad odd when this starts," as she ran through a set of hand seals and then placed her forehead against his before uttering "Kokoronoichi no Jutsu" as he felt some chakra try to enter his body but then he felt nothing.

"You're blocking me." Ino said looking at him.

"I'm not intending to," he replied honestly surprised why it wasn't working until it hit him, "Might be you-know-who not wanting a Yamanka poking around in there" he finished as he pointed to his head.

Shaking her head Ino just shook her head, "Guess we have to do it the hard way then."

That was when Naruto thought he was in trouble because Ino actually smile before she reared back and delivered a wicked head butt to him. One blink later and Naruto found himself seeing a replay of that day through Ino's eyes.

He gathered that Ino must have been knocked down by an explosion of some sort as the sight-line was near ground level. As she looked around he saw that Choji and Shikamaru appeared to be knocked out and Anko was stuck under some rubble. He also felt her fear at the sight of the Collector's in the room especially when one began to glow and the booming voice shouting out, "**Assuming Direct Control.**"

He watched as Ino moved her eyes with this creature until it stopped in front of Sasuke and Kabuto and then began to address them, "**We are Harbinger. We require a counter. Our research shows that one of you are that counter. One or both of you will join us.**"

"Oh, a counter to what?" Kabuto asked.

"**One of your kind with Red Energy. We must counter this energy, destroy it. You will be part of the vanguard for a great change to all life in this galaxy if you join us. You will stop this one and pave the way for us,**" the "leader", at least what Naruto guessed at, answered.

"Red Energy?" came from Sasuke. Naruto had hoped that the blind Uchiha would tell them off, and that he would keep his word to make up for his crimes.

"Oh, I get it now," Kabuto stated with his chuckle that was a mix of his own and Orochimaru's. "Think about it Sasuke-kun. How many people do you know with red energy?"

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke spoke, "My eyes."

"Come come Sasuke-kun, we both know that you eyes cannot be fixed thanks to Naruto-kun," Kabuto stated. "I will gladly dispose of your problem Harbinger-sama if you allow me to leave this place."

"Give me back my eyes and I'll kill him and everyone in this village. You can do what you want after I am finished with them," Sasuke answered while Naruto could only share Ino's shock at what his former friend said.

"**Release them!**" came the voice form the bug like leader.

"No…" rasped Ino, gaining the attention of those in the room before another person began to speak.

"Like hell I'll let you get away..." came Anko's voice as she pulled herself out of the rubble. _Stay down Nee-Chan, Stay down..._he said in his head forgetting what he's seeing has already happened.

Before she could move Naruto watched through Ino as Sasuke grabbed a kunai on the ground and ran right at Anko, slicing at Choji as he raced pass the large Shinobi cutting open the man's throat and leaving him to bleed out while he began just stabbing her before he pulled it out and slice at her. He did it again, again and again before stabbing her once more then dropping the kunai and turning to Ino, with his soulless faded eyes.

"I won't kill you. I want you to tell him what you saw here. I will take away everything he cares about. His village, his friends, his family, and finally the one he loves. Then we'll see if he truly understands how I feel," before turning and being led away with Kabuto and the rest of the Collector's.

_No…no….NO! _Naruto thought as his rage began to build. Seeing his friends hurt and one of them killed. Watching Anko be attacked, Sasuke's threat – it was too much and it was his fault. More rage, more anger at himself till a voice starting yelling at him.

_Naruto_

_Naruto!_

_NARUTO!_

* * *

Naruto came to and for a moment had no idea where he was. He just got his bearings as he saw he was back in the room with Ino hugging him into her chest and holding him in place.

"Ino?" he managed to get out.

"Oh!" she said letting him go, "You're back! I was worried when you started to freak out…" she trailed off, sitting back in her chair.

"Ya, sorry…" he said, embarrassed that he nearly lost control.

"Well, unlike Sakura and that little trick she does or Yamato-san and his jutsu, I had to think fast," she said with a small smile. "What and how exactly does forehead do it anyway?"

"Ino, you know I can't say," Naruto said, "and thank you for thinking fast."

A quick huff from the girl as she blew at the bit of hair out of her face.

"Damn, I thought I'd finally get it out of you since she won't tell either…" she said as she crossed her arms most likely annoyed that both Naruto and Sakura won't even discuss how the suppressing jutsu they created worked. Naruto also noticed the cast on her arm at this point as well.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," he said. "But thanks to you, I now know what I have to do and it's something I should have done years ago." He finished as he stood up to leave.

Watching him walk out of the room, Ino stepped forward but stopped before speaking softly. "You're going to kill him, aren't you? You have to kill him this time or else he'll never stop. That's what you know you have to do, even though you promised?"

"I won't break my promise to you and Sakura-chan," Naruto said with his back to her. "But I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone ever again!" He then walked out.

* * *

A few hours later Naruto made his way to the gate where he was supposed to meet his new team. He noticed a shuttle departing overhead and wondered what was going on as he walked closer and saw Shepard, Tali and Ashley waiting for him as his team.

"Did the others just head up?" he asked as he walked up to the group.

"Yep, Mordin finished his work and he's going check the data against what we know on the ship," Shepard answered, "he seems quite excited about it."

"Fun fun, so where's my team?" he asked.

"Figured they be with you," Shepard said. "I guess Tsunade has decided to surprise you."

"Can you tell me who they are?" He asked hoping one of the three knew and would tell him.

"Nope", "no", "sorry little brother," came the replies from the three.

"Damnit!" He grumbled, earning a slight smack to the head from Shepard.

"No cursing in front of a lady," she said with a slight smirk.

"Ya well when you see…" but caught himself and stopped when he realized who exactly he was talking with at the time, "...err…nothing," he finished nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Good save little brother," Tali said with a chuckle as she saw Tsunade approaching with a few other people including a couple of ANBU.

For a moment Naruto didn't understand why Tenten and Lee were with her. They usually didn't take part in this while it made sense for Sakura-chan and Shizune to be there.

"Naruto, meet your team," Tsunade announced when she gestured to his three friends.

"Wha…no!" he immediately refused. "They can't come. There's a very good chance we won't be coming back," he protested.

"They volunteered brat, they know the risks," Tsunade told him.

"But..."

"We know and understand the risk Naruto-kun," Tenten said with a smile, "I won't let my friend do this alone. Not like last time."

"But…" Naruto tried again but was stopped when Lee grabbed him in a mock headlock.

"Naruto-kun!" he started and then pointing to the sky he started moving his arm across it, "This is a mission where we go to show the power of our youth to all in the sky. Our bonds of friendship will shine brightly as we chase those fiends into their dark corners. They will truly know what the power of youth means as we burn a path to greatness!" He finished before declaring, "GAI-SENSEI, BE PROUD OF ME!"

On the other side of the pack, Ashley leaned over to Shepard and whispered, "You sure this is a good idea with this one?"

"Don't worry, he's fine," Shepard told her, already somewhat aware of how Lee is.

Back with Naruto, as he was finally released by his friend, when he turned to the pink haired girl he's chased after for as long as he remembered, "Sakura-chan, I can't ask you to…" but was cut off when she put her hand over his mouth.

"You need a medic-nin and I'm the only one available." She started, "and I'm not going to let you go alone and deal with those two. I won't let you go alone ever again. So you have no choice in this matter Uzumaki." she finished taking her hand off his mouth.

"Besides, I won't let you run around and let all these other women think they can have their way with you either," She said with that look she gave when she wanted to scare him," and someone has to keep you out of trouble and I told Tsunade-sama that I would do that."

"I think she's got you there kid!" Ashley said with a laugh.

Stunned, Naruto couldn't come up with anything he could say but one of the ANBU seemed to get his attention by tapping him on the shoulder form behind. Turning he was quickly caught by a punch to the face followed by a female voice, "Now we are even. Good luck Uzumaki Naruto," before she and the other one bowed to the Hokage and left.

"Ow, I said I was sorry when it happened!" he shouted realizing that the ANBU was the one he hit back at the prison cell.

Ino's shouting didn't give anyone a chance to answer and the blonde haired girl and others who she guessed were the shinobi's friends ran up to the group to wish their friends off on their mission as Tali found herself drawn into the talk by Sakura as she and Ino were curious about the clan patch. Tsunade then moved to stand beside her and they just stood there for a few moments before speaking quietly.

"I know what you told me but I still would like to ask if it's all possible that you bring them back here," the elder blonde stated.

"I'll do my best to do that," Shepard replied, "You sure about this?"

"They're the only ones that the busybodies will let me give you to help as there's no way I'm letting the brat go at this alone," Tsunade said with a sad tone "I just hope it's enough. Sadly they're viewed as expendable…" she trailed off but wasn't surprised by the commander's quick reply.

"Which they are not." She stated in a curt tone, "Why are they viewed as such especially with your apprentice coming along?"

"Naruto, Tenten and Lee are all orphans," Tsunade started, "and Sakura is from what is considered a civilian family while everyone else is from established Shinobi lines so…"

"So, as far as the politicians are concerned, if they don't make it back it's not a big loss?," the red head said back, concerned over the tone of the conversation as the sound of a shuttle overhead got her attention, "I have to say I'm quite tempted not to bring them back at all if this is how the people act."

"Not all of them are like this," Tsunade started, "It's just a select few and I plan on making sure things are different for when they return." The Kage finished before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple of scrolls.

"Could you please contact the Alliance and give them our apologies for the misunderstanding and tragic loss of their people despite it turning out to be these Collector's doing and none of my Shinobi?" Tsunade stated and handing the commander one of the scrolls.

"Sure, I was planning on trying to help smooth things over with them anyway so this should help." Shepard stated, "It should also help with Ash's anger as well and get her to direct it in the right place." she finished with a small smile.

While the pair was talking, Sakura was just standing and chatting with Ino when she was surprised by Hinata approaching her.

"Sakura-san" the Hyuuga girl addressed in her usual quiet voice, "I want to wish you well in your mission and I hope that y...y...You…could bring Nar…." she stopped as she stuttered out at the end.

"I'll make sure he comes back" Sakura replied with a small smile.

"I hope you come as well" Hinata ten said, "I want you to be my friend again just like Naruto-kun is" she said surprising Sakura.

"Thank you Hinata" was all she could say, surprised at the girl's sudden turn around but chopping it up to Naruto changing people again.

"Ok people, time to move out," Shepard shouted getting Sakura's and everyone else's attention.

Looking at the team that she was about to send out on mission, Tsunade decided to address them. "You four will be going on a dangerous mission. You have my full confidence that you will pull this off and show those who dare to attack us, why Konoha is the strongest of all the Shinobi villages." She said and then taking a breath while looking over the four young people, "Remember that you are representing all of us so do us proud and be on your best behavior when dealing with other people out there. You will be on your own but you will have each other so don't forget that you are a team and that everyone here is with you. Do us proud Team Konoha," she finished with a smile.

"They won't be alone," Tali said with her arms crossed.

"She's right," Shepard said, "You're a part of my crew now so you'll never be alone."

Walking towards the landing craft, Naruto found himself caught in a hug from Tsunade with a muffled, "Be careful and come home." as she slipped the other scroll into Naruto's pocket. Sakura was also surprised when she was also grabbed into a hug from her master and that she said the same thing to her. Looking on, Shepard smiled till she spotted Kakashi walking up to her and the shuttle and knew he was going to be a smartass and say something to her.

"I trust you'll watch over them like you did with Naruto?" he asked of her.

"Don't worry, I already told Tsunade I'll do what I can to bring them back."

"Good, good. And about that drink?" he asked, "I was serious when I asked."

With an annoyed sigh, Shepard quickly said. "If we make it back here, I'll consider it," as she watched the Shinobi TenTen and Lee board the shuttle and take their seats as directed by Tali, "but no promises."

Pulling out his book and not missing a beat Kakashi just replied with a simple "I guess I can live with that and bet on Naruto pulling through again."

"You know something I don't?" Shepard asking, curious about Kakashi's faith in the boy despite learning herself that the faith is well placed.

"When it comes to the impossible Naruto has shown that he can make it possible." He stated simply as if it was a fact.

Over with Naruto as he walking to board the shuttle when Ino grabbed his arm, "Promise you'll bring my best friend back and you'll come too?" she asked of him and then hugged him, catching him completely off guard.

"Geez Ino, don't worry," he said slightly surprised at the girl's behavior.

"Hey! I'm just trying to say I care," she said with a smile before saying. "Oh, I saw Anko today she had a message for you, she said 'Don't forget your promise to me'," and then Ino delivered a very hard backhand slap to him. "And she said that was so you don't forget it." and smiled and him.

"Tell her thanks…I think…." Thinking Ino enjoyed slapping him a bit too much as he finally boarded the ship and found himself heading back to the Normandy, the place he had really begun to see as his home.

* * *

Naruto could only guess he was the same way as his three friends and now teammates were all huddled by the window of the shuttle as it flew into space to meet up with the Normandy. Once again Shepard asked the shuttle pilot to angle the shuttle so the new members could get a good look at their new home away from home. The collective 'wows' and 'ahhhs' from his friends made him smile as the ship entered the docking bay and he directed his team to the elevator.

Once they reached the briefing room, Naruto sat back and just barely paid attention to Miranda as she again gave the same, 'I'm second in command blah blah blah' speech to his team and Ashley Williams that she gave to him when he first came aboard the Normandy. _You'd think for someone who's so superior, she'd change her speech_ he thought while the speech was being given. While he and Miranda are on better terms now than they were when he first came aboard, they still weren't what they call friends. Still, he knew Miranda would generally back him on the important stuff and vice-versa.

His thoughts came to an end when Miranda asked a question. "So, where should the Shinobi be placed?"

"Naruto?" Shepard asked, looking for some input.

"My quarters would do. We've bunked in tighter spots," he said.

"It would be better to have all of them in one place," Miranda said, showing her distrust of the new shinobi on the ship.

"I'm not sure," Shepard started in a playful tone, "You kids all together might cause trouble or something."

"We'll be fine Taichou."

"Fine fine, Naruto show them the way. Ashley, we'll set you up in the crew quarters and then you can help us in the armory since we need that spot filled," Shepard told her friend.

"Fine by me skipper," Williams replied.

"Then if there's nothing else, we're done and we'll break orbit in the next fifteen minutes."

* * *

Kelly Chambers could easily say she didn't judge anyone on first sight, even though she was a part of Cerberus and knew full well of their policies towards non-human species. That said, the new members of the crew made her question the commanders decision on this one.

It wasn't the girl named Tenten that bothered her. Kelly could tell she seemed to be a nice person who took her career and profession seriously. It wasn't the young man named Rock Lee either. Despite his strange attire and strange means of dress, he appeared to be similar in nature as Naruto. No, her problem came in the form of that pink haired bit…girl that also joined Naruto's 'Team Konoha'. Kelly didn't like that the girl was sticking so close to Naruto, watching everything around him carefully and especially giving all the women on the ship the evil eye when they would greet the blonde hair boy, especially the look she gave her when Naruto smiled and waved at her as they walked into the elevator. One thought went into Kelly's head the moment this girl started in on her territory _Stay away from him, he's mine!_

"Kelly, is there a problem?" Shepard asked as she noticed her yeoman giving the shinobi a slightly cross look.

"What? No, of course not commander," the younger woman replied. "I'm just surprised that there are more of Naruto's people on board," she said, trying to cover herself.

"You're a terrible liar Kelly," the commander said with a smile.

"Fine, I just don't like that one girl being all…clingy around Naruto."

"you're jealous!" Shepard said in near laughter.

"I am not!" Kelly protested. "It's just that…well…."

"Look, its ok for you to feel this way," Shepard started. "Just don't let it get in the way of your work and don't cause him too much trouble."

"Of course commander," Kelly replied before going back to her work.

"And don't forget, you're up against a Shinobi," Shepard said as she walked off.

Kelly began plotting on how to beat that pink haired whore at the game as she went back to work.

* * *

TenTen never thought she'd get this chance, not in a million years. Here she was, in what was really one of the Observation decks, but was converted into quarters by Naruto, looking out a massive window as seeing a bright blue ball in front of her – her home.

"Wow…" was all she could say.

"Ya, I had the same feeling the first time I saw it," Naruto stated before asking the question. "Well, there's enough room for our four bedrolls if we go two on each side," he said pointing out his idea of a setup. He wondered to himself how they'd want to do things but he didn't have to wait for long as Sakura just merely walked past him and set up her things next his bedding while Tenten and Lee went to the other side and began to set up there.

Seeing Naruto's slight confusion Sakura spoke up, "They're a couple so it's natural they would want to be near each other."

"You are?" he asked to the pair and as they nodded he just said with a smile. "Well, good for you."

"Ya, but please don't do anything together since the baka and me are also here," Sakura said.

"Yosh, I will take up the challenge Sakura-san and do my best to resist my youthful urges." Lee said giving his nice guy pose of the smile and thumbs up. Of course he didn't expect the shocked look on both Sakura's and Naruto's faces.

"Lee, don't talk like that please," Tenten stated.

Recovering, Naruto just left the couple alone and went to see Sakura.

"You ok with being here? I can move somewhere else," he asked her, knowing she was probably still annoyed with him.

"It's fine, just keep your hands to yourself at night" she said with a playful smile, just as the intercom crackled on and Joker's voice came over it.

"Stand by to break orbit."

Seeing the confused looks on his friend's faces, Naruto said, "He's just saying we're about to leave."

"So…this is it," Sakura said in a slightly nervous voice as she stood up at the window.

"Yup, off we go to kick ass and take names," Naruto said, trying to reassure his friend not missing that she took hold of his arm while standing there.

Standing up as well Lee and Tenten also started looking out the window again as they all felt the ship move a bit as they say saw the planet start to move away.

"So, now we begin our great adventure into the unknown," Lee said as he put his arm around his brown haired girlfriend.

"Yes, but we'll be back again," Naruto said, "That's my promise of a lifetime to you guys."

* * *

Author's notes – and here we go, lucky number 13. You can also call this the halfway point of the story and things ramp up again as the 'return to Konoha' is over. I hope I didn't disappoint too many people by giving him a team when Naruto went back to space as originally it was only going to be Sakura going along as she snuck aboard the shuttle but in working it out I couldn't see Tsunade letting Naruto go alone especially if he was facing both Sasuke and Kabuto along with the Collectors.

Still, I just couldn't resist the idea of setting Lee and Tenten loose on the Mass Effect universe. Weapons girl getting a look at that armory? Lee meeting the likes of the Krogan? That stuff writes itself.

The chapter also had its original start placed back in after shifting it from the previous chapter along with having some bits that are meant to set up the rest of the story.

Truthfully I didn't really like this chapter and I wasn't completely happy with it. Not having a name of Ino's Jutsu is a start but to me it really felt like much was tacked on despite the fact that much of it is needed for setting up the rest of the story.

Oh well, maybe I'm just being too hard on the chapter.

Anyway, hopefully people will also still realize that the pairing is not set in stone as there's still much story to tell on that front.

Translation

Kokoronoichi no jutsu – "one thought" or "mind of one" technique. Used to allow the projection of a thought or memory of one person, usually a Yamanka, to another. Similar to the Vulcan mind meld. Completely made up for the story and the creation of GT.

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	14. Chapter 14

Naruto Effect

Chapter 14

* * *

It had been about a week since the arrival of the new crew members to the Normandy. While the ship was currently making a mining run, acquiring some raw minerals from a few of the uninhabitable worlds in the Shin system, before heading to Omega. Shepard took it as a chance to get Team Konoha up to speed on systems, technology, protocols, and pretty much everything else they would need to know. However, unlike Naruto, there was a bit of a learning curve as the others didn't use the same trick that Naruto did and learned like 'normal' people. First off, it appeared that the three newcomers were not as versed with other languages as Naruto was and Sakura was the only one that had decent understanding of English as opposed to Tenten and Lee who understood verbal to a certain degree but had difficulty in the written word. _The Omni-tools should help them with at least talking to people _she thought about it. Shepard chalked up Sakura's knowledge to the girl's work with Tsunade and thus being around different nations and languages more that the other two. It looked like they all learned at different rates as Sakura chewed through data pads at a high rate and retained the information while the other two were quite a bit slower. Shepard realized why Naruto would refer to the pink haired girl as the brains of the operation.

Shepard also made the point of getting the three shinobi to go and have their chakra scanned by Mordin and their Omni-tools adjusted to work with it before she got them their armor. She learned her lesson the first time and nearly lost Naruto because of it and she wouldn't take any more chances with her new charges. Turns out, much like biotics, shinobi had different levels of chakra as they each were quite unique to Mordin's scans with Sakura showing the most control but only a very slight difference in power between the others. Of course Mordin made a note that Naruto's own power was still more than the other three combined. She still couldn't get her head around that and wondered if he was still holding back despite saying he wasn't. Then again, she was also aware that he was mostly in a position where destruction wasn't the best idea, so probably he held back on the missions they did because of that little tidbit, since many of the Jutsu's she'd seen where very destructive in nature.

The shinobi were also eager to help out in anyway aboard the ship as a means to earn their keep. While none of the crew really expected it, Shepard herself could understand, and allowed them to help in what they thought they could do best at. Naruto would usually end up doing many of the menial tasks simply because his clones could make the task very simple and easy which usually included moving various supplies, weapons and doing inventory. Rock Lee found himself working in the galley helping Gardner with his usual duties. Tenten lived up to her nickname of 'weapon's mistress' as she wound up working with Ashley in the armory keeping the various weapons in working condition. Naruto made a joke about Ashley gaining an apprentice but neither seemed bothered by it. Sakura was the easy one as she used her medical knowledge to pull double duty with Mordin in his lab and with Doctor Chakwas in the Me-bay.

It wasn't all easy as the growing issue of Kelly and Sakura with the yeoman bound and determined to make Sakura's life as difficult as possible on the ship. It got to the point where Miranda had to step in to help tutor Sakura as Kelly was going out of her way to give Sakura the wrong information, though no one could prove that Kelly did it intentionally. So far, Sakura seemed to be controlling that temper of hers but Shepard knew the yeoman would push the wrong button sooner or later and there would be trouble. Of course it didn't help that various other members of the crew had a betting pool on when Sakura would snap and a brawl would break out but Shepard hoped the two women would solve their issues on their own and peacefully.

Of course Shepard's semi-peaceful days and musings of the past week came to the end with Joker's voice coming over the intercom.

"Commander, you better head down to the mess hall."

"What's up Joker?" She asked, wondering what could be going on down there.

"I think Jack's just about to win the pool…"

* * *

Leaving the elevator, Shepard could hear the noise and as she rounded the bend she saw Kelly being restrained by Tali and Sakura was being held back by Tenten and Rock Lee along with Samara in between the pair and using her biotic's to also help keep the pink haired girl back.

"What's going on here?" Shepard demanded.

"Commander…"Kelly started, "I'd like to make an assault complaint against one of the shinobi." the yeoman finish as she pointed to the red mark on her face from an obvious slap.

"SHANNARO! LET ME GO!" Sakura shouted, red faced with rage.

"Calm down Sakura," Shepard said before turning to Tali. "What set her off?"

"I believe the yeoman was doing her chatter with Sakura that she's been going lately about my brother when she mentioned something...that...well…" Tali trailed off sounding a bit embarrassed.

"SHE CALLED HIM A DEMON!" Sakura shouted still struggling to get at Kelly. "YOU FUCKING BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU FOR CALLING HIM THAT!"

"I said it as a joke," Kelly said trying to play the innocent card.

"I missed something here..." Shepard said before standing in front of Sakura. "Settle down, NOW!"

"but.." stammered the medic-nin.

"I said now." Shepard repeated in a suddenly cold voice.

It was surprising, that was all that was needed as Sakura took a few deep breaths and started to calm down. Shepard still stood after a few moments while the younger girl finally settled down before looking at Jack who had an amused look on her face.

"Jack, what did Kelly say?" Shepard asked the other woman.

"Well, since you asked…" Jack slurred with her usual charm. "She was doing her usual, 'Naruto will be mine,' bullshit and then she made the off hand comment that with her Naruto would be a 'demon in the sack' and that's when lollipop lost it." She finished smiling with Sakura let out a small growl at her new nickname.

Feeling the headache coming on over this being of all the things that set Sakura off, Shepard decided it would be best for the medic to stay out of everyone's way until the commander was able to talk to Kelly about this in private.

"Sakura, you're confined to quarters until we get to Omega, understood?"

"But…" Sakura started to protest but was cut off by the commander.

"Just go to your quarters before I get mad" Shepard said again with a sigh.

"Hai hai Taichou," the pinkette replied and headed for her room with no argument.

As she walked off Shepard turned to Kelly Chambers, who looked quite pleased with herself over the turn of events, "Kelly, go back to your post and I'll talk to you in private later."

"Everyone else, if you have no business here then go back to your stations," the commander then announced before turning to Lee and Tenten. "You two stay and you as well Tali."

They waited for a few moments until the crew cleared out before Shepard asked the question to the Shinobi, "What about what Kelly said set her off?"

The pair looked at each other before Lee began to answer, "Sakura-san has been sensitive about that word for quite some time, and especially with how it relates to Naruto-kun."

"Which word," came from Tali, concerned that there was something that could be bad for the one she called 'little brother' though now it was getting harder and harder for Tali to look at the blond shinobi without wanting more.

"Demon," Tenten stated quietly, "and I don't blame her but I would deal with it differently. I don't like it when people refer to him as being a demon in any way either."

Shepard just shook her head at not picking up on it sooner especially when Naruto became so scared when he told them about it. "I should have known…" was all she could mutter.

"I'm guessing things were bad if Sakura is so defensive about it?" Tali asked.

"People with Naruto-kun's burden are looked down upon by others in our home and other villages. It is a shame really as we have encountered others who share a similar burden who also gave into the hate that was created yet Naruto-kun's youthful power burned so brightly even in the face of the most feared of beasts," Lee finished, tears streaming down his face before being elbowed by Tenten.

"Stop it Lee," she started before turning back to Tali. "Sakura made a vow to never let anyone ever use it against him after she found out about it. Since then she's gone out of her way to make sure people keep things like that to themselves," The bun haired girl finished explaining, "She really made it clear that it was taboo just before he returned from a three year training trip when he was fifteen."

Taking another moment to let what the two just told her, Shepard decided she'll now have to talk to both girls and now Naruto if this is going to get settled. "Ok, thank you both for explaining it. I'll talk to Kelly and everyone else about it since we didn't know how bad that word is. I'll also talk to Sakura about her behavior as we can't have her flying off the handle like that here."

"Though it would be amusing to see her put Kelly through a wall Shepard." Tali chimed in, hoping to lighten the mood. _Although if I'm not careful it could be me _Tali thought as she resigned to herself that she was probably going to need to have a chat with Sakura eventually.

"Where is Naruto anyway?"

"He's in our quarters; going over a scroll he got from Konoha." Tenten answered.

Shepard had a feeling she knew which 'scroll' it is and knew she should talk to him very shortly if he's reading that right now.

* * *

Stomping into the room that became called 'the shinobi quarters' by those on the Normandy, Sakura still couldn't believe what that bitch said to her. It was one thing for the girl to play the rival game and try her best to 'steal' him away but what this Chambers did was just over the line. Surely if Shepard knew about Naruto's burden then that girl must as well and to bring it up like that is unheard of. _Doesn't matter_ she thought to herself since she realized that there was no contest given that she knew where Naruto stood on the issue.

Still, she wasn't ready to fully go down that road with him yet. Even though they did fool around after the defeat of Madara and Sasuke but that was a mix of joy and sake. At least that's what Sakura tells herself _but if another woman came close to him _she quickly thought before spotting the blond in question in the room.

"Naruto, you won't believe what that Kelly girl said!" Sakura scoffed when she saw him just sitting with his back to the door while looking out the glass into the darkness. Seeing that he was ignoring her, Sakura's annoyance started to rise again as she stamped her foot on the floor "Hey! Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, kinda lost in thought Sakura-Chan," he said absently.

"Oh, about what?" doubting that he wasn't doing anything else but ignoring her.

"Scroll that Baa-Chan slipped into my pocket when she hugged me before we left," was the reply of Team Konoha's leader.

"And? Anything interesting?" the medic-nin asked toward her friend and just saw as he raise his right arm and saw he had a picture in between his fingers. Walking closer she took the photo from his hand and caught a glimpse that the scroll had more documents along with a set of ten, three pronged kunai. Looking back at the photo now in her hand she nearly gasped out loud when she saw the face of the person in the picture.

"Why is Shepard-san wearing a Konoha headband? Was she a shinobi of our village?" Sakura stated out loud.

"That's not Taichou," he said in an oddly dull tone. "That's Kushina."

Stunned, Sakura looked back at the picture again, "No wonder Shishou and Kakashi-sensei called her that. They look like they could be twins," the girl said from her spot, now standing beside the sitting Naruto. "I wonder if Kushina is still in our village…"

There was a bit of a pause before Naruto answered, "Nope, she died the night I was born giving birth to me."

_Wait, did he just say _"What did you say Naruto?"

"Her full name is Uzumaki Kushina. She's my mother and she died the night I was born, according to these records," he finished before going quiet again, "but there's more…"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked confused at this, _How can there be anything bigger than learning that his mother looks exactly like Shepard-Taichou and that she died the night of the Kyuubi attack? _She pondered to herself while also filing it away to talk to the commander about another time.

And Sakura better like the answers she got – commander of not commander.

"This scroll is in my handwriting" he started before looking at her with tears in his eyes, "Why don't I remember doing this Sakura-chan?"

"Oh…kami…." Sakura didn't know what else to say except she just sat down beside him and pulled him into a hug. Right now he needed her more than she needed to vent. It also confirmed a fear she had for a while if she put the pieces together correctly. _All those tests after he channeled the full power of that fox to fight Sasuke and Madara yet we found nothing physically but that didn't take into account other possible side effects. _She just quietly held him and hoped that he wouldn't ever have to use that much power again and not lose anything more precious to him.

Outside the door Shepard overhead enough of the conversation to know that now was not the time to talk to either of these Shinobi so she did the only thing she could do and turned and walked away. _I can always talk to them later _she thought as she headed to the bridge.

* * *

As the Normandy docked with the massive station called Omega, Shepard already knew who she was taking with her on this run as Samara had requested assistance, this time in the form of Naruto, to help her track down her daughter who was committing murder in various places around the galaxy. Shepard just hoped Naruto wouldn't react too poorly when the elder Justicar told him that she intended on killing her daughter once they found her. At the same time Shepard decided it would be a good time to get the parts and components for the armor she would be outfitting the new shinobi members for her crew and it gave her an opportunity to take Sakura with her as she could have a 'chat' with the girl without anyone else around, well anyone from the Normandy.

Walking towards the airlock Shepard spotted Kelly at her usual post and decided this was the best time to say what needed to be said to the girl.

"Kelly, we need to talk."

Turning around, Kelly looked at the Commander with a look of dread in her eyes, "I figured this was coming Commander. I know I acted very unprofessional and I'll try not to do it again"

Sighing, Shepard gathered her thoughts before speaking again.

"Yes well, I can't have you inciting violence with her" Shepard stated, knowing already who the 'her' referred to.

" I know it's just that…I can't stand her being all like that around him" Kelly said, "I know it's out of character of me to act like this Commander but it's because he's…."

"Special?" Shepard finished the sentence for the yeoman.

"Yes" Kelly said. Of course the Commander didn't know about all the talks she had with Naruto while she was tutoring him. The little lunches and dinners they had together. How he made her happy with his love of life and how she was amazed by his ability to make people better. It was enough to make her change her personality and general attitude and do whatever it takes to have Naruto to herself.

"Well, just don't be starting any more fights Kelly" Shepard said bringing Kelly back from her musings, "What you've done so far is normal hazing stuff but we've got to keep it professional especially when you're trying to pick someone who could put a hole in the wall with one punch."

"Of course commander" Kelly responded as Shepard just nodded and walked off to the Airlock.

_I still won't let anyone get in my way _was the thought that Kelly had as she went back to work.

* * *

Standing at the airlock door she watched as Samara, Naruto and Sakura approached and was slightly relieved that Sakura opted not to wear her usual skirt and appeared to be wearing something closer to what Tenten normally wore. Last thing any of them needed was for someone to think Sakura was a call girl or something just based on the way she dressed.

Walking through the airlock Shepard began to lead the group to the best place to get information for Samara about the Ardat-Yakshi.

"Where we headed Taichou?" Naruto asked as he walked in step behind his commander while Sakura was to his right and Samara was walking in behind.

"To Afterlife, best place to get information," she replied.

The walk from the airlock was quick as the four entered the loud nightclub. Shepard was slightly worried when Naruto became a bit dazed by the dancing girls but a quick tug on the arm by Sakura got him moving again as they went to meet with the 'Queen of Omega'.

"Ah Shepard, to what do I owe this visit?" came the voice of the Asari named Aria.

"Need some information, about an Ardat-Yakshi that could be here," the commander replied.

"Damn," The blue skinned woman said, "I knew there was something up with that dead girl in the apartments."

"There's already been a death?" Shepard asked.

"Some poor girl in the slums," Aria replied. "Just head over to the apartments and you should find the place." She finished, "If you are after it, I'd consider it a favor if you got that creature off my station."

Shepard just nodded and turned to leave before Aria spoke again, "you know Shepard, when I suggested you find yourself a young man I didn't expect that you'd heed my advice."

Shaking her head at the comment, especially seeing Naruto's look of shock and Sakura's slightly twisted face, Shepard turned back to look at Aria again, "Naruto isn't mine."

"Naruto?" came the voice of one of Aria's guards, "This is the Gethslayer? I expected he'd be bigger." And then with a cocky smirk added, "I bet I could drop him in one punch."

"I'd like to see that," Aria chimed in as the four eyed Batarian guard took it as an order and began to try and hit Naruto. It didn't go well as the blond Shinobi didn't have to leave his spot but still managed to dodge every attempted punch from the attacker.

Shepard merely waited a few more seconds and while still looking at Aria just stated, "Drop him," as she heard a quick whoosh sound and then what sounded like a loud hit as Naruto punched the guard in the side and saw as said guard hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. The second guard, a Turian, tried rushing in but Naruto quickly spun around and with a kick dropped him as well. Aria stood up from her seat, amazed at what she just saw as other guards moved to be ready and then she felt a blade to her neck as the pink haired girl, the one she dismissed as nothing really, had moved behind her unnoticed and was now ready to strike while Naruto had drawn a pair of pistols aiming at the guards.

"Impressive Shepard," Aria said calmly, "these shinobi live up to their reputation though I didn't know you have two with you."

With a smile Shepard raised her hand and Sakura backed off and walked off to return to her spot beside Naruto, "Now where would be the fun if I showed off all my team at once?"

Aria actually laughed as she called off her guards before looking at Naruto again. "Well then, since you have more than one," she spoke as she walked up to the young man. "Perhaps you would be willing to part with this one," then placing her hand on his cheek, "He and I could have so much fun…"

To the side, Sakura started fuming and releasing killing intent in the direction of the woman and it didn't go unnoticed by Aria or Samara. "Calm yourself child," came from Samara as Aria looked over and merely smiled.

"Oh dear, looks like you belong to someone else little boy," she said then laughing. "A shame, I could have really showed you a thing or two especially compared with that little girl," she says suggestively before turning and returning to her seat. "Is there anything else Shepard?"

"Nope, we're done," and with a nod, turned to leave the club with her squad in tow.

Walking through the club again, they exited and stopped just outside to go over their next move on the station.

"Samara, what would you like to do now?" Shepard asked the other woman.

"I believe it would be best if the child and I began our investigation with this apparent death and proceed from there." Samara plainly stated.

"Fine, Naruto, go with Samara and help her as she sees fit." Shepard ordered, "Sakura, you'll stick with me as we take care of our business here." As the pair of young shinobi just nodded before Naruto began to walk off with Samara and Sakura joined Shepard as the pair of women headed into the market of Omega.

* * *

Worried. That would be the best word to describe Haruno Sakura's current mood. She was worried because Naruto was off with that Samara woman tracking down what has been called 'a murderer.' She knew she shouldn't be worried, that she should trust him but in this strange place, with all these strange people and each one of them seemingly eager to go after the 'gethslayer', one couldn't blame her for her current mood. Especially when she was stuck with their ship's commander doing nothing more than simple shopping.

"Relax," Shepard said with an amused smile as she was looking through the terminal at one of the various shops. _This girl really needs to lighten up_ she though looking at her pink haired companion, "Samara has more field experience than all of us put together, she'll keep an eye on Naruto and we're also in radio contact in case they need us."

"I'm not worried about him," Sakura tried to say.

"Sure you're not," Shepard said turning to face the girl, "and you don't get jealous and blow a gasket every time another girl looks at him either."

Seeing Sakura's face contorts and start a small pout, Shepard tried not to laugh and decided now was the best time to have their 'chat.'

"Look, I figure where you come from that your throwing a fit, your scaring people, and your status is enough to scare most other girls away from him. When it doesn't work you just stamp your feet and swing your fists around and that generally does it," she finished and noticing the look of shock on Sakura's face knew she hit the mark.

"What...what do you mean?" the medic-nin stammered out.

"I mean you need to ease up and stop worrying about every woman that come nears him and trust him," Shepard said, wondering why no one has even said this to her before.

"It's not like that..." Sakura said feeling like she was twelve again and not nineteen, "…he's just a friend"

"Right…" Shepard said before choosing her next words carefully, "Sakura, you need to decide what you want because he's decided he wants you. Kelly, Tali, that Hinata girl and probably a horde of others have all made moves on him but he keeps coming back to you. If you don't want him then let it go and stop being the selfish brat about it…" Taking a moment to let it sink in, "but if you do want him then just trust in him and don't throw a fit every time another girl flirts with him. It's going to happen, it will happen when he becomes leader of your village. It will keep happening on this mission and on other missions he goes on. Just tell yourself that you trust him and it will be alright."

Sakura was quiet as Shepard turned around to look at the terminal again. Shepard hoped the message got through and that at least she didn't have to worry about the girl punching a hole through the hull of the Normandy if Kelly decided to try to stir up trouble again. It also surprised her that no one else ever told her the same but she figured that since most others really did back off during Sakura's 'fits' that it wasn't needed. _Must be a culture thing on their world._

"I want to be with him," Sakura spoke from behind. "I want to be with him when he becomes Hokage and be with him during his whole reign and when we grow old together."

Surprised at the sudden admission Shepard turned as she had a very determined look on her face. Smiling, the red head said, "Good, glad you finally figured it out. Now then, let's find you something to really knock his socks off and make sure he doesn't even have to think about looking elsewhere," as she put her arm around Sakura's shoulder and brought her closer to look at the terminal and the armor piece she was looking at.

Sakura really began to wonder if this is what Uzumaki Kushina would have been like with her had she lived…

* * *

Arriving back at the doors that led back to the Normandy, Shepard and Sakura found that there was no sign of Naruto or Samara.

"Hmmm, I figured they would be done by now…" Shepard started as her communicator went off.

"Shepard, I am in need of assistance" came Samara's voice.

"What's wrong Samara? Where's Naruto?" Shepard began to ask while Sakura got that worried look on her face again.

There was a pause before Samara replied,"something unexpected. Please head here immediately…" before the message was cut off as they hear a small roar in the background.

"Samara? SAMARA!" Shepard shouted before hitting a few buttons on her Omni-tool, "Joker, trace Samara's position, Sakura and I are headed there now.", as the pair raced over to the part of the station where Samara and Naruto obviously were.

Reaching the right spot of apartment suites they found one missing a door and Sakura suddenly got a look of fear on her face.

"What is it" Shepard asked, noticing the girl's scared look.

"It's….not good" she replied as they moved slowly towards the entrance to the doors. Getting closer they could hear Samara shouting "Release your hold now."

Gasping and exclaiming, "No, Naruto!" Sakura ran ahead and into the room while Shepard just shook her head and followed. Entering the room the Commander was surprised to see Samara just standing as they watched Naruto holding another Asari by her throat off the ground with one hand while choking her.

"I say again, release your hold and release Morinth now" Samara addressed again and this time Shepard was confused. _Ok, so that Asari is obviously Morinth but what does she mean by 'release your hold and release Morinth'? _Shepard thought as Naruto turned to look at the newcomers for the first time.

That was when both Shepard and Sakura were shocked to be greeted with Red eyes instead of blue and Shepard recognized that smile again. It wasn't Naruto's but it made no sense.

_Where's the red chakra that usually appears?_

"Samara, what's going on?" asked to her teammate.

"Morinth attempted to subdue him with her mind not being fully aware that in knocking him out she awoken something else..." the Justicar answered somewhat cryptically even though Shepard knew what the 'something else' exactly was.

That was when 'Naruto' spoke to them.

"_**Hello Ladies…**_"

* * *

Author's Notes – and here we are at Chapter 14 – signed, sealed and delivered. Shorter than the previous although it felt like it took forever to write initially. The delay in posting is all on GT this time around as she just couldn't find the time to sit down and edit/beta this for me until yesterday. This chapter also went through some major rewrites from the first idea to here. Originally they ran into Sasuke while at the station but after wards I thought it was too soon for him to pop up. The Morinth mission was always there but it was more compressed and was finished by the end of this chapter but during the revision process I decided it was worth expanding so it will now take place over the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next.

And yes, it will all be explained next chapter so please don't rush in your reviews and messages to ask about the Kyuubi and ask questions. Spoilers! and all that ;)

The bit with Kelly is my attempt to try and explain her personality shift with regards to Naruto as she is acting a bit out of character with her reaction with Sakura. Everything else remained the same basically, even the Shepard-Sakura talk and Naruto's meeting with Aria.

On another front the rough draft for the full story is done (the story is 26 chapters in total) so it just means I'm now in the waiting mode like everyone else as GT works her way through the rest of the story and we do rewrites.

Translations:

Shannaro - loosely translates to "Hell YA!" or "Damn you!" depending on it's usage. Pretty much a Sakura-ism much like Naruto's "Dattebayo".

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	15. Chapter 15

Naruto Effect

Chapter 15

* * *

Haruno Sakura was still trying to process what she was seeing in front of her in the apartment suite. It was definitely Naruto holding the woman by the throat but that voice, the sneer on his face and those eyes.

"The Kyuubi?" she blurted out.

"What" Shepard exclaimed not realizing it was the 'demon' housed within him that was in control before turning to Samara, "Samara, what's going on?"

Not taking her eyes off of Naruto Samara took a breath and began to explain what she thought happened.

"I believe that Morinth tried to telepathically subdue the child and unknowingly awoke the being within him"

"_**Oh, she did more than that.**_" Answered the Kyuubi-Naruto, "_**This one went poking into parts that I thought were completely sealed off by the boy. Much to my surprise she managed to pull some of me out while putting Naruto to sleep.**_"

Shaking her head Sakura took a step forward "Naruto! You can easily take control, wake up and put the fox away!" she shouted.

"_**Silly girl, I already told you, he's asleep and cannot hear you**_"

Angered by those words, Sakura dashed forward thinking that she just needed to punch him to snap him out of it. Naruto did tell her that when he saved her from Gaara during the Chuunin Exams he did the same to the holder of the one tail when the demon took control of him. _If this doesn't work I'll just use our Jutsu to..._

"Sakura, wait!" Shepard shouted but it was too late as the Kyuubi-Naruto just threw Morinth at the Medic knocking the pair to the side.

"_**Now then, to kill you two and to leave this place…**_"

"I think not" Samara answered and with her power she sent out a biotic pulse that sent the Kyuubi possessed Naruto into the window and held him there, much to her and Shepard's surprise. Not waiting to ask, Shepard darted over to check on Sakura to find the girl was already recovering.

"You alright" Shepard asked and as Morinth also began to move the renegade Asari found a pistol pointed at her head, "You. Don't move."

"Shepard, I believe I will need Morinth's assistance if we are to subdue the being within the child." Samara grunted out as Naruto began to struggle against her power. That was when she also noticed that small red bubbles beginning to form around the body.

"And why should I bother helping you mother…" Morinth spat out after hearing this all of this, effectively cutting off the Kyuubi's threats at the same time, "it would be in my best interest to leave and let this thing finish you off."

"Because this is bigger than you and me. Because if this…being…is allowed to escape it could bring about blight to all our worlds." Samara began to explain as the form of a fox began to take shape from the red chakra, "If we don't stop this now then it will mean your death as well."

Standing up, Morinth knew that her life was in fact more important than anything else and chose to do this to save herself instead of thinking it was helping her mother or others. Adding her biotic power to Samara's they began to reaffirm the hold on the young man's body.

"This isn't good if it's regaining its power," Sakura mumbled while she began to roll up the sleeve of her shirt on her right arm.

"What do you mean? We've seen it with the red energy before?" Shepard asked, confused by Sakura's concern.

"Only because Naruto allowed it and was still in control, even when he loses his temper and it seems like the fox is in full control it's only an act until Naruto reasserts himself." The medic-nin explained, "There's also another way to stop it."

They then heard a growl as the possessed Naruto was looking right at the pair with his red slit eyes "_**You dare to speak like I'm that powerless girl! I will be sure that you suffer the most…**_"

That was when everyone in the room, and some on the station, got a taste of what real power and terror was. With a roar and expulsion of power the biotics where pushed back as Naruto landed on his feet back on the floor. Morinth was petrified was fear as she had never felt anything as close to the killing intent being radiated. It was now that she saw that the hands on this boy had changed and now appeared to have claws. The lines on his cheeks were thicker and much darker as well. By the time Morinth began to regain her ability to think it was too late.

The kyuubified Naruto rushed at Morinth and using his claw hands impaled the Asari in the chest before pulling them out and with one swipe towards her neck blood began to spray as Morinth fell to the ground dead.

"_**One down**_" it spoke before setting its eyes on Sakura, "_**Oh, so you think you can do that little trick without any help?**_"

Taking a bite into her thumb, Sakura began drawing a line of blood down her right forearm before looking back at the Kyuubi possessed Naruto "Guess we'll find out" she said with a look on her face that was strangely like one that Naruto would wear.

"_**Good, good. When I break you than the boy will know tru..**_." but he was cut off as he felt a prick to the back of his neck and its eyes fluttered shut and he fell face forward onto the ground.

From behind there was Shepard holding her pistol and she walked forward and checked Naruto's vital signs before shaking her head.

"Some all powerful demon. Can rip apart a village and terrorize populations but is too stupid to keep count and track of everyone in a room." As she looked up at Sakura was a small smile, "Guess I won't get to see your trick this time."

* * *

It would be a few days since the incident on Omega and Naruto wasn't coping well, still feeling guilty for being the one that killed Samara's daughter. Despite reassurances from everyone else that he wasn't in control and thus couldn't be blamed he still felt it was his fault. It was only after an evening talk with samara herself that Naruto felt that he could at least live with himself knowing that he at least spared his second 'baachan' the pain of killing her own child.

Fast forward to this very moment and Naruto had no clue how he ended up in his current predictment or how he could possibly get out of it.

It all began as the group of Shinobi began to seek out a place to do their various regiments of katas, training and other normal Shinobi exercises on the Normandy a few days after Naruto's and Sakura's mission on Omega. Naruto was able to get away with using the quarters as he was on his own but now that he was sharing it with three other people, there just wasn't enough space. As well, both Sakura and Tenten insisted that they work out somewhere other than where they sleep for some reason as when asked they both merely rolled their eyes on him. Their search ended with the shuttle bay as it was as private as things got on the ship and was usually unused by others and gave them enough space to work out, meditate, do some chakra exercises and even have a small spar if need be.

Thinking back, he guessed he should have asked his commander or at least told her what they were up to down there but no point in looking back now. It was fine for the first few days until Grunt started showing up from his usual spot in the nearby Cargo bay, challenging Naruto, Lee, and even the girls to a fight. It wasn't anything new for the Uzumaki as the Krogan had been bugging him for a bit for a fight but since Naruto stuck to his quarters most of the time, he managed to avoid the issue. Each time they declined, as it became a daily occurrence for the Krogan to issue his desire to fight one or all the Shinobi. Then Jack showed up one day with Grunt and in her usual manner made references to Naruto's manhood, courage and made a few remarks to Sakura about if 'Lollipop wanted to be hooked up with a Shinobi who's scared of a Krogan.' The latter did it as Naruto accepted Grunt's ultimate challenge and they began a 'friendly fight' which turned into an all out brawl between the two and causing some very nasty damage to one of the shuttles not to mention Naruto suffering a broken arm and Grunt feeling the effects of being blown into and through the hull of a shuttle.

Now Naruto found himself in Shepard's cabin as he was getting read the riot act for his actions.

"Just what possessed you guys to use the shuttle bay as a workout spot?" she started, clearly angry at what happened down there.

"Taichou, I can explain…"

"I don't want to hear it," She interrupted. "What I want to hear is how you're going to pay for that shuttle since I think your village isn't going to be able to cover you on this one young man?"

_Didn't think of that_ he thought as he tried to figure out if the commander was actually serious or not.

Watching her pinch the bridge of her nose he knew he really messed up on this one.

"Look, I messed up, messed up big time. The fight got way way out of hand," he started. "Just don't blame the others. I accepted the challenge and I'll do what it takes to make up for it."

"Out of hand? You and Grunt trashed a shuttle during your little brawl. That's a bit more than out of hand Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. I expect more out of you since you're suppose to be setting an example for the others. Plus you should know better with Grunt."

Now he knew he was in trouble. She used his full name and she wasn't yelling. Hell, he didn't even know when she learned his full name. Usually Tsunade only did this with him when she was really really pissed off. It only happened twice with the Hokage, after his fight with Sasuke and Madara where he promised that Sasuke wouldn't be killed for his crimes and the day after he, Sakura and Tenten, well… hooked up. _Even though we were all drunk that night and neither Sakura-Chan nor Tenten said they were worried about it baachan still tossed me out the window while yelling at me. _

Before being able to respond she looked at him and asked, "Just tell me you kicked Grunt's ass?"

"You know it Taichou!" he said with a smile recall the scene when he used a very low powered Rasengan to send the Krogan flying into and then through the shuttle.

Shaking her head Shepard motioned him to sit on the couch in her cabin before sitting on the other side. "I think we need to talk about a few things," she said. "I know you've been reading a certain scroll."

_Damnit. Don't want to talk about this now_ Naruto thought, "Do we need to talk about this?"

"Yes we do," she said in a stern voice. "I want to make sure you realize that I had no clue that I resembled your mother in any way and had no clue that's who everyone thought I was till we left Shin with you the first time."

"Oh," was all he could answer. "So who told you?"

"Kakashi."

Shepard watched and had come to learn how to read his expressions and knew he didn't take well to knowing who told her about his mother.

"I should have known," he said in a very tired voice. "He was my father's student after-all."

_That's an interesting tidbit, explains why the man is as protective over him but still doesn't explain the other stuff _ the commander mused before asking her question "Are you mad at me because I didn't say anything?", oddly looking worried to him.

"No, I guess you figured I knew and when I didn't you probably didn't know what to do," he said before smiling. "'til you took a swing at Tsunade-baachan."

She couldn't help but to start laughing at that. "Now now, that's not one of my shining moments," she said shaking her head, "and I don't expect you to follow my example with her."

"Don't worry, I know what baachan can do," he said, recalling all the times she smacked him or threw something at him.

"Good," Shepard said, happy their talk went better than expected. "Just know that no matter what is that scroll she gave you that you can talk to me about it. Especially if it's something you can't talk to Sakura about."

"Hai, Hai Taichou," he said. He still wasn't sure how to broach the fact that the scroll had his handwriting on it and he doesn't remember doing it. _Sakura-chan says to keep quiet for now so I'll do that._

"You know, it's ok if you want to just stick with calling me 'Neechan', "she told him. "It doesn't bother me."

"Umm…sure," Naruto said confused and started to scratch the back of his head. "I was trying to stay professional and such you know."

"Fine, fine but I just wanted you to know its ok."

"Hai, Hai Shepard-neechan," he said and was surprised when she hugged him.

"Now, head back to your quarters and tell your team I've got something for you to do that I think will make up for the wrecked shuttle." she said as she walked him to the door.

* * *

Standing by the shuttle Naruto was getting impatient as he and Shepard were waiting for the rest of his team. Shepard had told him that they were being outfitted in their armor but he didn't think they'd take this long.

"What's taking them so long? I didn't take this long," he said out loud.

"A lady likes to keep a man waiting," Shepard said joking with him.

"Then what about Fuzzy-brows?"

"I'm going to guess that Tenten keeps him on a very tight leash," she said with a smile.

He didn't get a chance to respond as he heard he team heading over in their armor. The first thing he noticed was that Lee and Tenten's armor looked much like his except that Lee's was green in color and Tenten's was a mix of green and brown. Sakura's on the other hand was simply mind-blowing for the young jonin. Her armor was virtually identical to Shepard's other than a slight difference in the chest plate and Sakura's armor was pink and black as opposed to Shepard's simple black and red combo. He also didn't miss that Sakura was also wearing her hair in a ponytail exactly like Shepard's.

"How do I look Naruto?" Sakura asked with a slightly worried voice.

"Wow…" was all he could stutter at the sight of the girl he's chased since he was eight.

"My eyes are up here Naruto," Sakura said as Shepard just leaned over and whispered to Sakura. "Told you it would work," in reference to the custom chest plate she added to Sakura's armor to help show off the girl's 'assets'. Perturbed at Naruto's look, Sakura did what she always did and bopped him in the head.

Brain working once again Naruto then noticed that his friends were all carrying weapons from the Normandy. Tenten had a sniper rifle, Lee a pair of those sub-machine guns and Sakura one of those assault rifles very similar to the one that Ashley uses along with a shotgun like Tali and Jack use.

"How'd they get you to carry the weapons?" he asked. He was sure that Lee would declare it 'unyouthful' or something along those lines.

"Taichou ordered us to; didn't she do the same with you?" Tenten replied only turning when she saw Shepard was trying to keep a straight face. _Don't tell me Naruto-kun disliked these cool weapons_ the 'weapons mistress' thought to herself.

"Naruto was a bit more stubborn then you guys about it," Shepard said as she walked past them, patted a pouting Naruto on the shoulder as she boarded the shuttle.

"Stubborn eh?" Sakura said as she crossed her arms with an amused looked on her face as Lee and Tenten walked past and boarded the shuttle.

"Well it's just that, you see…" Naruto tried to get out but didn't get a chance as Sakura just shook her head and walked up and grabbed his arm.

"Come along Naruto," she said with a sigh.

"R-r-right," he stuttered out before getting hit over the head.

"BAKA NARUTO, STOP STARING AT MY CHEST!"

* * *

Once in the shuttle, everyone calmed down as Shepard started to give them her briefing as to what they were doing on this world as they flew down.

"This isn't a normal part of our mission but we do take these side jobs from time to time," the commander advised. "So this time I'm sending you four in because it's a low risk mission and it will give me a chance to see what you guys are like in action on your own and what I should be expecting. It's also a good chance for you to learn about your armor as well as to get use to the new weapons," she paused for a second before adding. "Unlike some people, I expect you to make use of the tools we give you."

"Hey!" came from Naruto followed by some small giggles from Tenten and Sakura.

Seeing that they were still paying attention, she activated the display on her Omni-tool and it displayed a small map for them to see. "This is a base for a mercenary group called 'The Blood Pack'. They've been causing trouble in various places so your job is to take out the base. The planet's atmosphere isn't breathable so keep your helmets on. We'll keep you doing these missions as this is the best way to make use of your talents and work off the debt for the damaged shuttle," She finished.

"But but, I said it was my fault!" Naruto protested.

"I know, but those three were also there and could have easily broken it up," Shepard started and watched as they dropped their heads. _Good_ she thought then looking at Naruto _Sorry kiddo; I won't let you take all the heat for them. _

Arriving at the drop point Shepard watched as they did a final check of their gear. "Naruto, this is your op, I expect you to treat it like you did back on Shin. Be careful, watch your back and each others," she told them before adding, "I'll be up high in the shuttle monitoring so if you get in over heads just say so and I'll head down and back you up."

"Sure thing mom…." Naruto said sarcastically and earned himself a kick to the shin from Shepard.

The shuttle hit down on the world and the door opened just as Shepard secured her own helmet, "Go get'em Team Konaha!" she yelled as the four jumped out and the shuttle lifted off and back into the sky.

Down on the ground, the four moved slowly before stopped.

"What a strange world…" Lee commented looked around at the high cliffs, "I cannot wait to see what challenges await us. Gai-Sensei! Be proud of me!"

"Naruto-kun, there's a path ahead that leads below," Tenten noted as she was looking ahead, completely ignoring Lee's mini speech.

"Ok, standard formation, Tenten take point. We'll use set one but switch to set four once we engage any hostiles, got it?" Naruto said and as he saw his team nod in affirmative. "Ok, let's go," as the team began to move towards the path.

* * *

Up in the shuttle Shepard was alerted that there was some movement as she noticed that the base was now aware that the team had moved in. While she knew that they knew what they were doing and they were all young adults, she still thought of the four as kids. That said, from her monitoring they moved quickly and dealt with whatever opposition they face.

There was one thing bothering her, they were completely quiet. No radio communication, no chatter, nothing.

"Joker, are communications being blocked down there or something?" she signaled back to the Normandy.

"Everything is in the green commander, they're just not talking," he replied.

"Hmmm…" Shepard said out loud not understanding why the Shinobi weren't communicating. _Is something up between the four of them_ she wondered until another voice came over the Comm.

"Shepard, I believe they are communicating but not vocally," EDI stated, "from analyzing their helmet cameras they appear to be using hand signals."

_I might have known…._she thought as she made a mental note of talking to them when they got back about actually talking to each other next time while on mission.

* * *

"What an unyouthful fellow," Lee commented as they looked at the body of a Vorcha that really put up a fight but was done once Sakura got close and used her shotgun on it. The base wasn't that heavily defended and the team of Shinobi were making quick work of whatever opposition they encountered.

"This doesn't even rank as a C-rank mission," Sakura commented, feeling it was too easy.

"I'm not complaining even if these guys are ugly and weak," Tenten noted. Looking down at the Vorcha she took a moment to take in the look of the creature. If anything, it looks like a hairless bat, especially the head and face, with pink skin that walked on two legs and had two arms like they did. She also recalled from their studies on the various races in the galaxy that Vorcha were known for being able to adapt quickly to any environment which was why they could breathe here without the suits that they used.

"Yea, they're supposed to be mean bastards that hate humans too," Naruto commented. "We should get moving before Taichou flips out and thinks she has to help us."

"Look out up high," Tenten shouted as she used her sniper rifle and took out three Vorcha that were on a cliff above them, with only three shots from her gun.

Looking back at her, even with her helmet on they could tell that Tenten was grinning like a crazy lady "You're enjoying yourself too much Tenten," Sakura said in a joking manner.

"I love this gun," Tenten said in a cheery tone as she hugged her rifle, "and soon I can make something go boom!" with the sound of glee in her voice.

"Uh…Lee-san…"

"Tenten likes to make things go Boom," he said in a scared monotone voice.

"I see….Naruto?" Sakura said looking for some sort of comment from her commander.

"Keep moving and worry not Tenten-Chan, you'll be able to make something go boom shortly," as they moved across the stone bridge to enter the main part of the base.

* * *

Shepard was now getting more worried at the complete lack of Comm. traffic from her Shinobi. _My Shinobi?_ She chuckled thinking how odd it is that she now has actual 'ninjas' on her ship, much less more loyal to her than half the Cerberus crew on the ship. _At least I have a backup should things go south_ she thought as she heard the Comm. finally become active.

"Blowing the base Taichou," came Naruto's voice. "Stand by to pick us up," he said as a few seconds later the base rocked as there was an explosion on the inside that seemed bigger than it really should have been.

Smiling, she told the shuttle pilot to land where the signal was and saw that the four members of Team Konoha were standing and looking none the worse for wear.

The shuttle landed and the door opened and the team hopped in as the door closed again and it lifted off for the Normandy as they all removed their helmets revealing three tried and scared individuals and one that was grinning like an idiot, and surprisingly to Shepard, it was Tenten who was doing the grinning.

"Report," Shepard said in a voice that reminded the four of Tsunade.

"Base destroyed, a small number of Vorcha and one Krogan that was the leader were taken out," Naruto said. "Tough bastard too, damaged my armor when he charged at me."

"Oh, he gave you trouble?" Shepard asked curious that a Krogan of all would give Naruto some hassles...

"He caught Naruto-kun by surprised since we thought he was dead after Lee kicked him through one of those storage tanks. Then Sakura dropped him with one punch after he charged Naruto-kun," Tenten said while the other girl in question was blushing.

"Good work all of you," Shepard said and let it sink in for the four. "You worked better than I expected so we can probably do a few more of these and then we'll head off to the Citadel to take clear up some things and then get back on our main mission, though you should have your armor looked at Naruto."

"Hai Hai. Why we going back to the Citadel neechan?" Naruto asked

"We need to get some supplies, plus Thane and Garrus have some business they need to take care of, and while there I'll clear up Ashley's status with us" Shepard replied, knowing she could trust the four with her planning.

There was a little quiet as they reached space and began to get ready to dock with the Normandy until Tenten made a comment, "Next time I think I'll bring a rocket launcher or better yet one of those 920 Cain things that Mordin-san is working on. It'll make a bigger boom."

"No!" came from the other three Shinobi as Shepard just had a confused look.

"Awwwww," was the only response from Tenten as she pouted the rest of the way back to the Normandy.

* * *

Life began to fall into a routine over the next little while as the four Shinobi found themselves being sent on various 'side jobs,' as Shepard described, it to various worlds. To them, it was almost like being back on Konoha with the constant missions and quick turn around. One day they were stopping Geth from taking over a freighter, the next they were helping stop Blue Sun mercenaries after they over ran a mining/research complex, and the next they were assisting in tracking down some lost children, though Naruto thought that one was a bit far fetched.

On this day the mission would be quite different. It started with Zaeed Massanni demanding that Shepard honor the contract that he made with Cerberus in order to join up in the first place. Seeing little choice in the matter, Shepard agreed and off they went to deal with the Blue Suns for whatever reason Zaeed had, though she decided to bring someone she knew would watch her back and that Zaeed didn't have issues with.

Landing on the planet, Uzumaki Naruto left the shuttle and Shepard and Zaeed followed. From the briefing he got, they were headed to a refinery that the Blue Suns had overrun and were using the workers there as hostages and slaves.

"Where to Née Chan?" Naruto asked to the commander.

"Zaeed?" she said in turn to the other man.

"Head down the path to the refinery; we'll find that bastard Vido holed up in there," the man said as they began down the path before adding, "I'll tap into their radio frequency so we can listen in to the Blue Suns and get a heads up over any ambushes."

Not needing to answer, the three moved down the path and encountered no resistance and only mild radio chatter until they came across a pile of dead bodies.

"These are just workers!" Naruto exclaimed in disgust, "and shot in the back too."

"Shot and left to rot as a message to the others, this is definitely Vido's work alright," Zaeed commented.

Not giving Naruto a chance to respond, Shepard turned towards the path and just headed on with Zaeed and Naruto following. A quick encounter with a patrol and the team knew they were found out, though Shepard found it amusing that the radio chatter started going on and on about the idea that 'The Gethslayer' is there as they fought another patrol unit, until they hit a bridge.

"I don't care if it's the Gethslayer or Jane Shepard herself, you will stand your ground and stop them…" came a voice over the radio.

"Guess I'm not the only famous one Neechan," Naruto said with his usual smile which earned a playful smack from the red headed commander.

"So, what's the deal with this Vido guy Zaeed?" Shepard asking turning to the other member of her squad who signaled for them to stop.

The man then went on to tell the tale about how he founded the Blue Suns but was betrayed and pushed out by Vido, wiped from history as a founder of said group and left for dead after Vido shot him.

"…and now it's time for revenge and payback," he finished.

Naruto got worried once he heard this as it sounded all too similar to the tale he knew from his world. The difference was that Madara was a lunatic who used plans within plans to try to keep everyone off balance as he tried to destroy everything and anything related to him. This also sounded very much like Nagato and Naruto knew more than everyone the path his former leader of Ame chose to take and where it took him in the end.

"Vengeance brings nothing back Zaeed-san. We should just take out the base and not worry about killing everyone," Naruto said in a serious tone, which caught Shepard off guard as she wasn't used to him talking like that.

"What do you know kid, you don't know what I went through!" the old bounty hunter yelled. He was so close and even though he liked Naruto he wouldn't let the kid tell him to back off now.

"I've seen the pain of what a path of vengeance can cause," Naruto said back, oddly calm.

"Enough!" Shepard said, "Let's just go and get this job done and get out of here," hoping to stop what could turn into something bad for the ship and her team. _Last thing I need is these two to start fighting _she thought as they moved towards the refinery.

* * *

Naruto couldn't help but think that this Vido guy was a walking cliché. He kept going on and on about how he's going run off and get rich while Zaeed would be dead and gone; he'll rule all, blah blah blah. If the old man hadn't demanded to kill Vido himself, Naruto would have shot the man in between the eyes already and ended this long ago.

"…don't think that just because you have the Gethslayer with you that you'll pull this off old man," Vido addressed from the balcony before looking at Naruto. "Eclipse has offered quite the bounty on your head kid, and it will be a pleasure to collect on it."

"Like you could pull it off…" was all Naruto muttered.

That seem to end it as Zaeed took a shot at Vido only to hit the piping above him. "You're losing your touch, even a rookie could have shot better than you," the Blue Sun leader said before Zaeed shot again and ignited the gas from the pipe starting a fire.

"KILL THEM!" Vido shouted as he moved into the refinery as he troops began to fire on the trio.

"Cover me," Zaeed shouted as he ran over to one of the nearby valves and began to turn it.

"What are you doing?" Shepard shouted

"Opening the door," he shouted as he used his assault rifle like a hammer and banged on the valve even more. The pressure rose and the entire door way exploded and alarms started sounding all over the place.

"Come on, I'm not waiting another thirty years to try and get him again!" Zaeed shouted as he ran past the bodies of the Blue Sun and into the refinery.

_Ok, he's just like Sasuke_ Naruto thought as Zaeed was very similar to how the Uchiha acted with regards to his missing-nin brother.

Reaching a door to go into the actual complex, they were stopped when they heard shouting up above from help.

"There's workers trapped inside, you have to help them get out," the person said from above as the explosions in and around the complex started to get worse.

"We've got to help them, one guy isn't worth these innocent lives," Naruto said.

"To hell with that, acceptable losses and if we help them then Vido will get away," Zaeed responded.

Annoyed Naruto just shouted "Fine! You two go and I'll free the civilians and meet up with you," and turned to go and help where he could.

"Naruto, wait!" Shepard shouted but it seems that Zaeed had also made his decision.

"To hell with this. I should have known that a snot nosed kid and a woman wouldn't have the guts to do what was needed," as he lost his temper and not realizing what he said as he turned and went in his original direction to peruse his target.

"Damnit!" was all Shepard could say as she ran off to catch up with Naruto.

"I can handle this Neechan," he said to her. "You should back him up."

"No, you're right," she started as another explosion went off. "We need to help the civilians first and then worry about the Blue Suns."

With a nod the pair went the other way to help those that needed it and hoped they could catch up with Zaeed later.

* * *

Shepard came to the conclusion that she was going to need to have a long talk with Zaeed once this was all over and done with as she and Naruto moved very quickly to hit all the panels to shut down the gas in the refinery before activating the fire suppression system. None of this needed to happen as they had a trained Shinobi with them on this mission that could have easily prevented this situation and still allowed the man to get his revenge. Reaching the final room she activated the system and Naruto gave the thumbs up that the workers/hostages got out.

Now they had to find their team mate.

Moving quickly Naruto gave her a hand signal to hold still and he went ahead and did his Shinobi thing to take out the guards silently before they would move on. Entering the large room they were quickly ambushed by a few Blue Suns and one of the giant Security Mechs. Pinned down, she didn't see the rocket that was fired towards her but Naruto did and did what Naruto always does.

"Neechan!" He shouted as he jumped from the other side to shield and get Shepard out of the way of the explosion.

"Ugh" came from Naruto as he held his side and Shepard got up and finished off the last of the Blue Suns.

"You alright?" she asked while looking for a way to deal with the giant security mech.

"My side hurts," was his reply as he tried to get up to help her fight but didn't get a chance as he saw Shepard use her biotic powers to send a wave of energy at the mech before shooting at a tank over it causing it to fall and destroy the mech and end the fight.

Turning back to him, she knelt down and put her hand on the side he was favoring and watched him flinch.

"I think you've busted a rib or two," she said before cocking an eyebrow upon discovering something. "You didn't get your armor checked did you?"

"Umm…whoops," he said with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, thanks for helping me," she said before turning and raising her hand to her Comm. Unit. "Joker, tell Sakura to be on the shuttle when it comes down as we've got a minor injury down here."

"Awww...neechan, why did you have to do that. You know she'll get mad," Naruto whined at the fact that Sakura would hit him for being 'reckless' and getting hurt while getting up to join his commander.

"You are hurt and need medical attention," she said before she started walking toward the other side of the room. "Plus this will hopefully teach you to listen to me next time." she finished as she turned with a smile and stuck her tongue out at him.

Seeing his cross expression, she motioned for him to follow as they moved slowly to the door that would lead them to the shuttle pad.

It didn't take them long but when they got there they found something they didn't expect to see. There was clearly a firefight on the pad as there were members of the Blue Suns lying dead around the place along with a gunship that was shot up. Looking around they found the bodies of Vido and Zaeed, not very far away from each other.

"Zaeed-san!" Naruto shouted as he ran over, as fast as he could to check on the man, with Shepard not too far behind. Reaching their comrade, they were disheartened to find numerous wounds from gunshots and checking for a pulse, Shepard came to the sad conclusion that he was gone.

"Damnit! This is my fault," Naruto began to shout. "If we only we got here sooner. Why did I have to be so stupid and want to save those people?"

A quick slap got his attention as Shepard was giving him a hard look, "This is not your fault. This happened and people do die on missions. You know this and so do I," she started. "This mission was bad from the start and he didn't help by being driven solely by vengeance and wouldn't focus on what we tried to tell him."

Taking a few moments, she walked closer and hugged him before quietly saying, "Let's just think about the good times and think that he's happy knowing he finally got his man."

"You're right Neechan," Naruto said wincing at her hugging him. "I just hate losing people."

"So do I Naruto, so do I…" was all that she could say as she saw the shuttle coming in to pick them up and take them back to the Normandy.

* * *

Author's notes – So here we go, GT finally got around to clearing this chapter so I can get around to posting it. I'm sure those few of you still reading the story will think its very "ninja" heavy right now but remember I'm trying to integrate them into the Mass effect world so consider this the chapter focusing on them getting used to being in that world. Plus we haven't seen much of Lee and Tenten for a bit so it was a good chance to bring them in. Speaking of which – I thought it would be funny if Tenten was a bit of an explosive nut given that she's had really no character building at all. Turns out I'm not the only one who thought this so consider this partially inspired by Andrew Joshua Talon's "Boom" story. If you haven't read it before, read it if you want a silly chuckle.

Also, the allusion about Naruto's drunken escapades was intentional and will play a role in the story down the line.

Sadly, Zaeed was destined to pass all along so I intentionally made sure that people didn't get too attached to him in the beginning other than seeing him meet with Naruto earlier in the story. I know people won't be happy by it but I wanted to show that even with Naruto, not all missions will be successful and that people can (and will) die.

With Morinth, I had already intended her to die so the fact that last chapter I had a few thinking otherwise meant I did a good job of hiding what was going to happen. Originally, this was the chapter where we see the sealing jutsu that Naruto and Sakura developed along with the explanation behind it but I've decided to hint at it and put it off till later when it's actually used for its full effect.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	16. Chapter 16

Naruto Effect

Chapter 16

* * *

A few days passed since the mission had gone wrong and things were only now starting to settle back into the normal routine. Shepard had been concerned about her youngest crew member and the concern only grew when Haruno Sakura approached her to discuss Naruto's current issues. Turns out, it was a bit of a false alarm but the pink haired medic was hoping that they could get a mission as that usually lets Naruto work out whatever is still bothering him when he can't or won't speak about his problems. Unfortunately, they were heading straight for the Citadel as they needed to get back on track right away given that it's been some time since anything had been heard from the Collector's or their new 'partners' which means something was bound to happen soon.

The request did give Shepard an idea about how to handle the current situation as she could assist Garrus and clear up Ashley's status on the Normandy while giving Thane the help he needs and taking care of getting the supplies they needed before heading for the Cerberus research team. Arriving at the station, she also noticed the surprised looks from the crew when she announced whom she wanted to go on to the station. The same surprise read on Bailey's face when he had to once again allow access to three more Shinobi along with Naruto, Shepard, Garrus, Ashley and Thane. _Although you can't tell they're Shinobi when they're out of their armor _she thought seeing them in their 'normal' clothes including Sakura being back in that skirt of hers.

Waiting outside the C-Sec station, Shepard walked up to her crew and tried to figure out how to start this, hoping that Thane would ask for whom she thought he would.

"Thane, how much help would you need?" she asked the assassin.

"One or two of the Shinobi would be sufficed, preferably if they were trained in scouting and observation," he drawled in his soft-spoken manner.

_Perfect _she thought, "Lee, Tenten, go with him," and with a nod, the pair walked over to Thane and they left to take care of whatever business he had.

"Ok, that just leaves you two since I'll be helping Garrus and Ashley," Shepard said turning to the remaining Shinobi as she held a data pad in her hand. "This data pad has all the supplies we'll need and it will be up to you two to get it," she said handing it to Sakura. "I think I'll trust you with this." Shepard finished with a small smile.

"If she's in charge then what am I?" Naruto protested.

"Pack Mule," both Shepard and Sakura answered at the same time as thy tried not to laugh at his reaction of pouting and muttering.

"Just be careful here," Shepard said before walking back. "And Sakura, make sure he doesn't get into Ramen eating contests this time."

"What does she mean by that?" Sakura asked her fellow Shinobi.

"It's a long story," he said, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, you can tell me while you're showing me around since we've got a long list and four levels to shop," she said as she grabbed his arm and began to drag him in the direction of a nearby shop.

_This is going to be a long day_ Naruto grimaced.

* * *

Tenten stood on the catwalk, watching the area below as Thane and Lee were shadowing the target below her. The target was an alien politician of some sort who was also dirty in some way as he was shaking down local businesses, well, he had his large bodyguard doing it while the person themselves waited outside the shop. While this crook was their target, he wasn't their actual target as they were waiting for the assassin to show that was going to kill this politician. The assassin who happened to be Thane's son _No wonder she didn't put Naruto-kun on this mission_ Tenten mused as she recalled her friend's issues with 'grey area missions.'

"Do you see the target Tenten?" Thane's voice sounded over her communicator.

"Hai Thane-san, he's having his bodyguard shakedown a few businesses while he waits outside."

"Most likely to maintain deniability," Thane noted in his usual calm and quiet tone after hearing Tenten's response.

"How Un-youthful! I should go and stop this crime immediately!" Lee's voice boomed over the communicator.

"No Lee, we are shadowing, that means we stay put till Thane-san says so," Tenten practically shouted.

"She is correct; we wait until we have to make a move. When this is complete we can turn over our evidence to the authorities," Thane stated. "Tenten, watch carefully I am moving to a new position and will lose sight of the target."

"Hai hai, you should do the same Lee," she murmured without waiting for a reply.

She was bored and guessed that by this time Naruto was the same. _Stuck shopping with Haruno Sakura…yikes _she thought with a shudder as she watched the Turian move slowly and followed. While she was very happy with Lee, if pressed she would admit that the one drunken tryst with the Uzumaki was enough to pull her into the 'I'm in love with Naruto' club that many others are a part of. _No. I'm with Lee and Naruto-kun is my friend and he loves Sakura _she reminded herself while moving along the catwalks. The last thing she needed was to screw things up for Lee and Naruto just because she still had a crush on the Toad summoner. Watching the Turian enter a bar she continued watching from above, she nearly lost him for a second when they approached a group of Krogans or at least that's what she guessed from her studies aboard the ship.

"Looks like there's more Krogans around," she noted into her comm. Unit.

"Likely the same pack, stay sharp," Thane's advised calmly.

_I hope Naruto-kun's mission is going better for him. _Tenten thought as she was truly getting bored with this following stuff.

* * *

Sneezing suddenly, Uzumaki Naruto realized he had lost all sense of time. He had been dragged around from one shop to another and back again by his pink haired companion as they went to find all the items on the list. It wasn't that he didn't mind spending time with the girl, but it's just when she goes into 'shopping mode' he just can't really deal with her. Nitpicking, checking, comparing prices it was driving him nuts. _I bet you're laughing at me right now Ero-Sennin_ he thought back to his old master and godfather who always claimed that Naruto never understood a woman's heart. Of course, thinking of his old Master made him start to think about his one somewhat new mentor Zaeed who was killed in a mission recently.

A pair of fingers snapping in front of him got his attention as Sakura had her trademark 'annoyed at Naruto' look on her face, "Why are you zoning out?"

"Just thinking about stuff."

"You? Thinking?" she answer with a playful tone.

"Haha Sakura-chan. Don't be mean."

"Then what's wrong? Please, tell me?" she asked almost pleading, "it's about Zaeed-san isn't it?"

"Well, partially. It's when I think of him I sorta also think of Ero-Sennin since both taught me a lot…" He started before she pulled him out of the way of everyone and to the side.

"Look, we were all told that things like this can happen back in the academy," Sakura replied. "But unlike them, I won't tell you to bury it. Just don't close me or anyone out ok? I'm not going to let you sit around and feel sorry for yourself this time like I did when Jiraiya-sama died," she didn't add the 'don't be like Sasuke' as Naruto already knew that part.

"Hai Hai, Sakura-Chan," he gestured with a trained wave of his hand that wasn't missed by the girl who promptly gave him a bop to the head.

"Don't just 'hai hai' me. You may be able to get away with that with Tali-san, Shepard-san and the rest but not me," spoken with a voice that was growing more and more irritated.

"Trust me Sakura-chan. If things get bad I'll tell you," he said in a soft, reassuring voice to her. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Having decided that she got her message through, Sakura took hold of his arm again and began to direct them to another store and with a smile told him, "This is the final store, after that we can go to that Ramen stand you found here before we tell Taichou we're done."

Unknown to the pair, there was someone else watching their movements very carefully.

* * *

Naruto noticed that this final shop didn't have much in the way of weapons and gear but more along the lines of other items, mostly provisions but some reading materials as well. Watching his friend work her way through the console and comparing it to her list he was surprised by her face contorting and her exclaim of "What the hell?"

"What is it?" He said as he walked over to her to see what she saw on the console.

"This," she said pointing at an item on the list.

Getting closer, he saw that she was looking at what appeared to be a book title, and it caught him off guard as well as he spoke it's name out loud "'Tales of the Gethslayer' what the hell?" he mimed.

"Oh yes, that's a very popular book by a new author," The shopkeeper, a female Asari, began to tell them after hearing Naruto speak its name. "Apparently the author is a close friend of the actual Gethslayer."

"Really?" Sakura said dryly as she looked at Naruto.

"Hey, don't look at me. I have no clue about this," he protested in his defense.

"Sure you don't Icha author," she spoke in a doubtful tone before looking at the shop keeper, "Can I see a sample of the book since I'm interested in buying it?"

"Hey, I cleaned up that series thank you very much," he protested.

"Sure you did, smut writer," Sakura calmly noted as the shop keeper handed her a data pad and then looking past the pair remarks, "Oh my, you both are lucky as here comes the author herself right now."

Naruto turned to see as Sakura was speed reading through data pad and saw the person in question. It was a Quarian female and while they all generally looked alike to him on sight this one looked very familiar to him. Of course, before the name could come to him he saw the girl stop and look at him before shouting "NARUTO!" and running at him and practically tackling him.

"Uhhh…hi…" he said, very much caught off guard by the girl.

Still holding him she let loose a giggle before squeezing harder and saying, "I never thought I'd see you again," as he realized by the giggle who this was - Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, the girl he helped the last time he was here.

"Ahem," came from behind him as he turned his head to see Sakura was a mix of amusement and annoyance on her face. "Who's you're friend oh great and mighty Gethslayer?"

Knowing his friend's strength and temper Naruto felt it's best to give the introductions before she lost it. "Sakura-Chan, this is Lia'Vael nar Ulnay; I helped her the last time I was here," He said before trying to peel the girl off of him, "Lia, this is Haruno Sakura, she's my teammate and…."

"…and his fiancée," Sakura finished as she extended her hand to the Quarian with an eerie smile on her face as the girl released Naruto.

"What..." Naruto said, completely caught off guard by Sakura's statement.

"I'm always happy to meet people my Naruto has helped," the pink hair girl continued sweetly.

"You're engaged?" Lia asked Naruto. "Wow, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After hearing what you did on the Flotilla fleet who wouldn't want to marry you?" she then raised her hand up trying to whisper to him, "Though I think you'd want to rethink marriage to her. A girl with pink hair? You could do so much better."

Completely ignoring Naruto as it appeared he mind has short circuited just based on the look on his face and trying to hide that she heard every word the girl said Sakura decided it was best to keep talking to the bi…girl before she rips her guts out. "So, you've written this eh? I have to say it's not bad from the sample I've read but the way you write, it's almost as if you're putting yourself in the story given how you've written the Quarian love interest."

"Well…ummm…you see, I kinda, well," the younger Quarian started to stutter out.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. Just commenting," Sakura noted before going on. "I thought your people usually did more technical things?"

"Umm...ya…we do but after meeting Naruto I got…inspired," she said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

_Great, another one…_Sakura thought as she looked at the young Quarian. This one was obviously younger than Tali and younger than herself and Naruto so Sakura wasn't shocked. Over the years she's become used to people falling under 'Naruto's special power' but after talking with Shepard-Taichou, Sakura decided to try and heed the woman's advice and use another method of dealing with the girls who think they love him instead of just putting their heads through the closest wall.

"Well, just remember that this is a work of fiction and that Naruto isn't a super powered super hero type that you make him out to be," Sakura lectured before turning to return the data pad to the nearly forgotten shop keeper. "I'll take a copy of the book as well please."

Like Naruto, Sakura knew how to read masked people so Lia was easy compared to her own dealings with the likes of Kakashi and Shino. Buying a copy of the book despite questioning the girl got the desired effect.

"Thank you, I could use the help given my problems."

"Problems?" came the voice of Naruto who snapped back hearing that someone he knew was in trouble.

"I kinda borrowed some money and, well….." she trailed off.

"…and now they've come to collect and they're not exactly the nice type," Sakura finished, hearing this story many times before and usually around Naruto. _Please Kami; keep his mouth shut this one time_ she prayed.

Of course Sakura didn't get a chance to know if her prayer was answered or not as a group of three Blue Sun mercenaries entered the shop and looked right at Lia, "Come on girly, we know even though your book is making money you can't pay off the debt, just come with us and you can work if off on your back."

Lia immediately hid behind Naruto as both he and Sakura stared back and then forward at the thugs.

"Please help me Gethslayer," Lia eeked out.

"Gethslayer?" One of the mercs drawled, "Look boys it's our lucky day. We can get the girl and collect a nice bounty. We can even sell the pink haired one off as a slave too."

The Blue Sun's were surprised when neither of the Shinobi were looking at them but having a heated discussion with each other.

"What are they talking about 'bounty'?" Sakura yelled.

"Hey, I only found out about it recently."

"Well, it would have been nice if you told someone, does Shepard-Taichou know?"

Angered, the merc in the center began to shout, "Don't ignore us!" but was shocked when the Shinobi both flicked their arms at the same time and his companions fell each with a needle in their arm as the pair didn't even look in the mercs direction and continued their argument.

"Taichou was there when I found out," Naruto continued acting as though nothing ever went on.

"And you didn't think it was important to tell me!" Sakura answered back with a hint of her trademark temper beginning to show.

Angered, the center merc waved with his arm as more Blue Suns started to flood in from across the level of the wards they were on.

"Oh crap, time to go," Naruto shouted as he grabbed Lia and both Shinobi plus Quarian fled the shop. The Blue Suns gave chase as Naruto and the girls ran down a flight of stairs to the next level before realizing that the mercs wouldn't be giving up as they started shooting, causing the civilians to run and the Shinobi and their friend to take cover.

As the Asari shopkeeper got up from behind her counter she noticed that those kids plus those Blue Suns had finally cleared out of her shop. Checking for damage she let out a quick sigh of relief as it appeared her shop wasn't damaged at all.

That was when she noticed that someone must have dropped something, a book to be specific. Picking it up she noticed that it was in a language that she was unfamiliar with so she took it over to her console behind the counter and scanned the title.

As it was translated she read the title out loud to herself.

"Icha Icha: Yellow Flash Chronicles..."

* * *

"I wish I brought my gun," Naruto commented as he quickly did a weapons check and found he has only senbon needles, a couple of smoke bombs and some shuriken.

"Me too," Sakura said while using her arm to keep Lia down. "Got a plan?"

Thinking quickly he saw the public transports and knew that was their best chance at getting away or at the very least getting the mercs away from the civilians so he and Sakura could fight back. "Get to the transport, we'll use it to try and ditch them," he gestured towards the nearest one.

"That kinda won't stop them from shooting us," Sakura said dryly.

"I'll throw some shuriken and then a smoke bomb at them and then run over to you two," he said as he got a reluctant nod from his teammate before turning to the scared Quarian girl. "Lia, stick with Sakura-Chan, she'll protect you. I trust her the most so you should too," he finished, not seeing the smile on Sakura's face after hearing him say he trusted her.

Putting the plan into motion, Naruto jumped up, created a few shadow clones and began throwing his shuriken as Sakura took the Quarian girl and ran to find a transport. Tossing a smoke bomb to create cover, Naruto ran over to the transport to find that Lia was in the back and Sakura was sitting at the controls waiting for him.

"What are you waiting for, get in!" Sakura yelled at him.

"Uhh….I thought Lia would drive?"

Pointing at the back seat at the crying Quarian Sakura noted, "She's in no shape to do anything besides, Shepard-Taichou taught me how to use this and we don't have much choice."

"Oookkk…." came from Naruto as he got in and barely got the canopy down before the transport shot up in the air and took off like a bullet and started flying very erratically in the air.

"GAH! YOU'RE CRAZY SAKURA-CHAN! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME BEFORE I CAN BECOME HOKAGE!"

"NARUTO-BAKA WILL YOU BE QUIET!"

"You said you knew how to drive!"

Sakura suddenly had a nervous look on her face along with a very nervous laugh as she jerked the controls again to avoid hitting another transport, "Ummm…well, Taichou didn't exactly teach me but I did kinda watch her back on Omega…" she trailed off as Naruto began freaking out and shouting again before Sakura reached over and pinched his neck near where it met the shoulder to knock him out.

_He can bring any of the elemental nations to its knees, he has a nickname here that brings fear to most and yet he's scared of my driving and acts as though I'm going to kill him…_as they raced off to escape their pursuers. _Then again how the hell am I going to land this thing…_

"Lia? ", she asked to the girl in the back who had been very quiet during Naruto's moment.

"Y…y…y…yes" she barely stuttered out, clearly traumatized.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to land this thing would you?"

Clearly Sakura picked the wrong time to ask that question as the girl promptly fainted in the back of the transport.

* * *

In all his years as an officer on the Citadel, Own Bailey had not expected to encounter anything like these kids from Shin303. The most glaring thing to him was that on any other world they would be thought of as lunatics. Now he knew he was judging all the people of the world based on the two in front of them and it was exactly the pair that he was questioning. Not that Naruto kid since he had heard the tales and form he gathered he was just your normal kid who happened to have taken down five platoons of Geth. Not that other girl who seemed less the worry and more the beauty queen especially with that pink hair of hers. It's not even the girl with the buns in her hair that was in the room with him as his officers had the Drell surrounded after she used her skill with that needle she threw to disarm the would-be assassin and then grab the intended victim, a Turian to ensure his safety before anyone could blink.

It was the one in green with the odd manner of speech and more specifically the current ten minute speech this Rock Lee was given the young Drell about his life choices and the path he was taking.

_What the hell does he mean by 'Chains of family bondage' and 'Youthful love being a father and son'? _

It really confused the man how this one wasn't locked up in a mental institution. He looked to his side and could see that Commander Shepard had arrived to lend assistance but was obviously unsure what to do.

_That does it, time to end this fucking sideshow_ Bailey thought just as the young man named Kolyat broke down.

"You're right, you're absolutely right." He began to cry out as he fell to his knees, "I've been a most unyouthful son and allowed my burning passion of anger to cloud my judgment and not realize I was straining the bonds of family that I had." He finished as he was now shaking his head.

_Ok, maybe this kid has a knack at breaking suspects_ Bailey mused to himself as he revised his thoughts about the Green clan Shinobi.

"Yosh! Seeing the problem is the first step on the path to redemption." Lee began with a smile and his usual excited voice, "Now rise to your feet my friend and embrace your father with your reaffirmed youthful passion!"

Before Kolyat could follow through on his task Bailey finally spoke up "Now let's wait and maybe get them to a place they can talk in private. They probably need to talk about things that aren't meant for others to hear."

"True Bailey-san!" Lee began, "but first a word on nutrition…"

"LEE!" Tenten yelled as she bopped him lightly on the head her fist, "Enough, mission done."

"She's right, good work though" Shepard said as she watched C-SEC officers escort Kolyat out along with Thane, "Thanks Bailey." She said to the C-SEC Captain.

Nodding, Bailey then looking at Rock Lee, "Hey kid, if you ever want a job at C-SEC come talk to me. We could definitely use someone like you to break some of the hard asses we get in there."

Nodding and stroking his chin while looking up, it appeared Lee was truly mulling over the idea, "hmm…it would allow me a wider ability to spread the teachings of Gai-Sensei to people as it's clear that many here need to learn about the power of youth plus I would be able to one up my rival in his teachings with his unyouthful and smutty books."

Before either Shepard or Bailey could ask about this 'rival' Tenten just grabbed the Green Beast's arm and dragged him out of the room while muttering under her breath.

Just as Shepard was about to leave Bailey stopped and listened to his Comm. Unit.

"Say again Control? Some kids got into a fight with Blue Suns in the wards?"

Shepard stopped; _Naruto and Sakura are down there! _And waited to hear more and ask Bailey for details when the man suddenly shouted out.

"THEY DID WHAT?"

* * *

After a less than stellar landing on Sakura's part in another level of the wards, they ditched the transport and with that, they somehow lost the mercs as they seemed to lose interest in the chase. Well, it was mainly Sakura that did the moving and her two companions had yet to regain consciousness so she was stuck with carrying their bodies from the transport and finding a place to hide out until they woke again. Lucky for her, Lia managed to come around first and after a bit of a panicked reaction Sakura managed to calm the girl down again before sending her on her way, with a few credits that she managed to save from shopping, and warned her to get off the station as soon as possible with an added 'and stay away from my man' thrown in for good measure.

Of course Sakura wouldn't admit to releasing a bit of killing intent to send the young Quarian running but she figured after some of the things the girl wrote in that book, she got off easy.

Now she just waited for Naruto to wake up again as she was sitting on a bench while he let his head rest in her lap and she was reading Lia's book on the data pad the shop provided. _This is just self insertion drivel written by a fan girl _she thought reading it while she overheard some people who walked by commenting on the 'cute couple'. It was also at this point that Naruto finally decided to wake up.

"Sakura-Chan?" he murmured.

"I'm here. Glad you're back with us," she mumbled off-handedly. "What do you remember?"

"It's all fuzzy, I remember being chased and we got to that transport but that's it," he told her before realizing someone was missing "Wait! Lia! Where is she? Is she ok?" as he jumped up and looked around for the Quarian girl.

_Guess he's blocked out the whole freak out thing _she thought before reaching up and pulling him back down to the bench. "Relax, she's fine and already on her way. I gave her some credits to get off this station. We'll just tell Shepard-Taichou we spent the money on food. And before you ask, you got knocked out when you jumped into the transport and bumped your head." _I'll give you this one, this time_ she thought after telling a white lie to save him from his embarrassment, _but you're going to owe me_.

"Oh, that's good. I guess," He said before his eyes shot open. "Uhhh, Taichou might figure it out. I think she's managed to find a way to track me and know what I'm up to."

"You mean this?" she asked as she pointed to the ground and lifted her foot to show that she crushed something there, "I found it just under the skin on your neck when I did a check and I didn't know what it was, especially when it started beeping after I cut it out," the medic finished.

"Wow, guess they did it when I was laid up," he said before noticing the look on his friend's face, "uhh…thanks for looking after me Sakura-Chan" he said trying to change the subject.

"You're welcome," she said as she got up before turning to face him. "I'm going to get a drink, stay here and I'll be back in a second," before walking off.

A few minutes passed as Naruto sat there waiting for her to return when he felt a presence slowly move behind him before it moved fast right at him. Jumping off the bench he saw the arm of the person who tried to strike him as they pulled back and looked at him. It was a woman, dressed in a black suit not to different from Tali's in look as she had a black hood over her head but he could see the lower part to her face and tell that she at least looked human. He knew this as she gave a very small smile before taking another swing at him with her right arm, which he blocked, before jumping up into one of the over head catwalks with Naruto, in full combat mode now, jumping up and giving chase.

From the far end of the area, Sakura had seen the woman try to hit him and watched as Naruto began to chase her. "Fuck," she said as she dropped the drinks she had purchased for them and began to chase the pair while fingered the comm. Unit in her ear.

"Shepard-Taichou, we've got a problem."

There was a pause before she got a reply "Oh I bet you do," the commander started. "I'm currently in C-SEC waiting for you guys and they're all up in arms here over some kids causing a ruckus with some Blue-Suns and then stealing and crashing a transport in the lower wards," she told the medic. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that would you?"

"Uhh…no," she said, trying to lie as she jumped up to the catwalk and hoped to catch up with her friend.

"Good, I can tell Bailey then," Shepard said as Sakura was glad she bought the story. "So, what's the problem?"

"Some woman just attacked Naruto and now he's giving chase, I'm following as we're cutting through some catwalks above the area here."

There was another pause before the commander answered back, "Stick close and don't lose him. I'll head over and we'll figure out if this is an assassin or just something trying to hit on him."

"Hai hai Taichou," she replied as she put a little chakra into her legs to get a bit more speed.

"Oh and Sakura?" the commander said again. "When this is done I'm going to teach you how to drive a transport properly…" as the communicator clicked off.

* * *

Naruto didn't really pay attention to the direction he went as he chased this woman but he found that she led him to what he guessed was a storage or loading area as there were lots of crates and other types of containers around him. What troubled him more was that once she entered the area, the woman vanished into thin air right in front of him. _At least I've got room to fight and can use jutsu's if need be _he thought, looking around the area trying to sense where she went. _Definitely not a jutsu_ as he continued to look before sensing the attack from behind. Dodging he watched as she reappeared and tried to use a roundhouse kick, which he blocked and countered with an attempted punch that she managed to duck before 'disappearing' again.

"A crafty one ain't ya?" he said hoping to get her chattering. "You're as close to a Shinobi as anyone comes around here," he finished but got no response. That's when he caught something out of the corner of eye and did a few hand signs but stopped when the woman attacked him again this time blowing a kiss at him before disappearing again.

Up on one of the containers, Sakura had entered the area and watched as Naruto was fighting this woman, though it wasn't real fighting. _SHANNARO! She better not be hitting on him!_ She thought as she was about to jump in when she got Naruto's signals to her of 'stay back' followed by 'cover me'. She didn't like it but it was the smart plan especially if this woman wasn't alone.

Back on the floor, the woman appeared once again and this time was quite willing to stay put and try to fight Naruto hand to hand. Analyzing it, Naruto noticed that this woman was using an unknown Taijutsu style but it was extremely close to a combined style that Tenten and Shizune use. Still blocking and trying to counter, Naruto finally found a hole and took advantage of it hitting the woman in the face and knocking her back and watching her roll backwards before reaching her feet a bit of distance away.

There was then a pause as she then huffed a breath and started to chuckle, "The reports on you are as accurate as they appear to be," she said in a voice that reminded him of Kurenai-sensei. "You truly are unrivaled in hand to hand combat as the stories claim. You really do deserve the name 'Gethslayer' if that's how you did it."

"I aim to please," he said in his usual cocky voice with a smirk.

"That's the exact type of attitude I was hoping for," she said before standing up and looking right at him as he could now see her eyes making contact with his.

"My name is Kasumi Goto and I have a favor to ask of you, Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure no Sato."

* * *

Author's notes: I'll be the first to admit, this is probably going to be a very unpopular chapter minus the introduction of a certain master thief. I can only say that when it was being written it seemed better as its lighter hearted given the semi-depressing ending of the last chapter. I fear though that I may have gone a bit over the line.

This chapter was essentially built around the ending with the introduction of Kasumi. I then came up with how Naruto would meet her and then figured out the rest. Originally Kasumi wasn't even in this story as she would get a bit of a side-story that would have come out after Naruto Effect was done. In the end I decided to scrap that and bring her in the here and now. The bit with Lee and Tenten was added in as the Chapter was already very Naruto-Sakura heavy and it also gave me a chance to go over things with Tenten as well as giving Lee a chance to shine. Originally Kolyat didn't break down but I figured in for the penny in for the pound and decided to just go with it.

And yes, the stuff with Lia was part of the plan too although GT had a bit of a hand in shaping the wording for how Sakura would react to her book.

Speaking of which, it looks like GT is going for a 2 week turn around now on chapters but knowing my luck I'll say it now and she'll present me chapter 17 tomorrow night :/

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	17. Chapter 17

Naruto Effect

Chapter 17

* * *

Despite popular belief, mostly that of Tsunade, Sakura, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Ayame, well – everyone, Uzumaki Naruto wasn't easily taken in by any and all stories or pleas for help he got. While he generally didn't turn them down as he got older and a bit wiser, they hoped, he thought his actions through more carefully. After-all, if you can help you should, right? At least that was one of the credos he lived by. Picking a fight with someone to ask them for a favor isn't exactly the best way to start things off. He should introduce this Kasumi to Sai and have her ask him how attacking Naruto was a great start to a friendship. _Though knowing Sai, he'd refer her to a book and then ask her she had a penis or something…the weirdo. _

"You have a funny way of asking for a favor when you attack someone," Naruto told the woman in an annoyed tone as he dropped his guard. He knew she wouldn't attack and couldn't get him plus he still had Sakura somewhere; as she had since moved from her initial spot, to cover his back should the woman in front of him try something.

"As I said, I just wanted to see if what I heard about you was correct," Kasumi replied as she put her hand on her hip and gave a smile to him.

A spike of killing intent was all Naruto needed to sense to remind him that Sakura was nearby but he decided to keep her talking and get this Kasumi to make her request before Sakura acted, the last thing he needed was for Sakura killing someone needlessly.

"I suppose, though in future I think you should consider another method Kasumi-Chan," he said, adding the 'Chan' as a means to try and defuse the situation.

"Fine," she answered before looking around the area. "Where's your little friend? I half expect her to be running in by now or has she gone running to get mommy?"

A shrug was the answer Kasumi got from the Shinobi in front of her. Kasumi couldn't figure him out and it was bothering her. _The mommy remark should have set him off. _The young man was annoyed that she attacked him but was still willing to hear her out. By his reputation he was a cold killer, capable of defeating Geth, Collector's and the likes and yet he's acting like they're just having an idle conversation. In Kasumi's world this didn't make sense. She didn't like when things didn't make sense.

"Now, what's this favor you wanted and why are you using the name of my village? Are you a former Shinobi or someone who's visited my world before?" He asked to bring Kasumi back to the conversation.

"No, she's a thief who probably did her homework about you," spoke the voice of a new person as Shepard moved from behind Kasumi with her pistol drawn with Garrus and Ashley flanking the commander. "But I'm also curious as to what you would want from one of my Shinobi, much less taking the chance of attacking one of them," the commander finished as she holstered her weapon while Ashley and Garrus kept their guns trained of the thief.

"Be careful Naruto, ", Garrus began with warning while not taking his gun off the thief, and "she's not to be trusted since she's a wanted criminal on many worlds"

"Aw, seems I've got another fan…" she began but brief breeze got Kasumi's attention as she turned to back to see the pink hair girl from before now standing in from of Naruto and looking ready to strike.

"Impressive, I didn't even see you coming my dear though I guess the answer to one of my earlier questions is that you went running to mommy," was all that Kasumi would dare to say as she could tell that this girl was looking for an excuse to try and kill her, given the look on Sakura's face and the fact that she was balling her hands ready to strike.

"Stand down Sakura," came from Shepard and once again Kasumi's attention was drawn to the commander, "and you haven't answered my question."

Slightly annoyed, Kasumi decided to tell her tale to the group. _This is the best way for me to get what I want especially if Shepard's reputation is accurate_ the thief thought to herself. "Fine, something that is important to me was taken by a very bad person. They also turned on me and killed my former partner. I want it back but I need help getting in since they're surround by equally bad people. I was first going to ask you Shepard, since I'm a fan of your work," she told the commander before turning back to Naruto, "then tales of this Shinobi began to be heard all over the place and I thought his talents would be better suited for the task at hand." As she finished with a wink at the Shinobi in question.

"He's not a thief or a criminal," Sakura hissed at the woman she clearly didn't like. _Look at the way she's trying to flirt with him! _

"I know that but if you are truly Shinobi then stealth is a part of your skill set and that's something I can use, especially given your friend's already growing reputation," Then looking past the pink haired medic to the blond Shinobi, "I have to say, I am a fan of your work as well Uzumaki Naruto. The things you did on Illium to those Eclipse mercenaries is something I'd love to see firsthand." She finished with a flirty smile.

A small smile formed on Naruto's face as he wasn't too used to praise but Sakura turning to give him a dark look told him enough not to say anything in return.

"What's in it for us?" Shepard coyly asked ignoring the protests from Ashley, Garrus and Sakura.

"What would you want?" came from the thief, curious if the Commander would want a cut of the action or something more.

Pondering the thought Shepard decided to toss a curve ball, "I can use all the help I can get in my mission against the Collectors. You clearly have skills for that especially if you can spar with one of my Shinobi and live to talk about it." She finished and then with an eerie smile said bluntly, "You want Naruto to help you, you join my crew and help me fight the Collectors."

The commander watched as this Goto woman weighed her options before a small smile formed on her face, or what part of the face they could see, "I think I can live with that if our young friend agrees to help," she stated while everyone turned to look at him for his answer.

_Oh crap_ was the only thought that entered in his head. If he said no then odds are Shepard would be pissed at him but if he said yes then he knows for sure Sakura would really be angry at him, just going by the girl's body language and killing intent. _Still, Taichou is right – we need all the help we can get, _"Sounds like fun to me Kasumi-Chan!" he replied while trying not to look into Sakura's angry eyes.

"Excellent, now we just need to get you the correct attire and we can attend this party," was all that Kasumi said while looking him up and down.

* * *

It turned out that where Kasumi needed to go was off the massive station and even out of the system, which worked as Shepard wanted to get off the station before Bailey connected the dots regarding Sakura and Naruto's little joy ride. She was lucky that Lee and Tenten were already on the Normandy and not around to try and 'help' their friends with their trouble. Last thing they needed was for the Shinobi to really cause an even bigger ruckus on the Citadel.

Just and they were about get off the station Shepard heard someone shouting her name. "Commander Shepard! Commander! Over here!"

Turning, Shepard saw that it was possibly the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Emily Wong, it's been a while hasn't it?" The Commander noted politely. _Hopefully I can make this quick, I don't have the time or patience for an interview _she thought to herself.

"Yes it has," she replied, out of breath from probably running and trying to catch Shepard, "I was hoping that I could do a quick interview as you've been gone for two years along with the fact that you've made the recent discovery of that new world that's the talk of the Citadel"

One on hand the commander didn't want to turn her down as Emily Wong has proven to be quite the source in the past and as far as media went was the easy for her to deal with. On the other hand she didn't want to do an interview period as the last one Shepard attempted to do recently ended quite abruptly with her punching out the reporter. _Bitch deserved it though _reflected the commander. Looking around she could see that her crew were waiting and came up with an idea to get out of this while teaching a pair of her Shinobi a bit of a lesson.

"Well, I'm tight for time but how would you like to get first ever exclusive interview with two citizens of Shin303?"

"Really? I heard you had one on your crew but not more than that," the reporter excitedly answered.

"Yup, Naruto and Sakura are here right now so you can talk to them now and then we can do a one on one interview the next time I'm here?" Shepard proposed.

"Wait! THE NARUTO? The Gethslayer? He's here? He's with you right now…" Emily questioned excitedly.

Pointing over to the pair of Shinobi Shepard just smiled while the pair suddenly got a dreadful feeling as they watched Shepard walk over with the woman that had called out to their 'Taichou'.

"Ok you two, this is Emily Wong, she's a reporter and is going to ask you two some questions," then raising her hand before they could protest. "Don't worry, she's a good person and won't ask questions that will make you too uncomfortable, well, not too uncomfortable. I'll be over there with Garrus and Williams just listening in to make sure things go smoothly," Shepard stated before walking off.

Looking at each other, neither of the Shinobi wanted to be there right now. They saw and reacted to a floating object before this 'reporter' before Emily could tell them, "Oh, that's just a camera, don't worry about it," she said calmly with a quiet voice before hitting a few buttons on her Omni-tool and then speaking.

"I'm Emily Wong and today I have a Citadel news exclusive as for the first time we'll get to talk to and hear from a couple of citizens from the newly discovered world Shin303. And that's just the start as one of the two here the infamous Gethslayer and bringer of Justice Uzumaki Naruto!"

Off to the side Shepard had to do her best to hide her smug smirk as she watched her two young team members squirm at some of the questions they were begin asked.

"You really could go and help them Shepard," Garrus said then he was chuckling at the same time.

"Garrus is right skipper, that's mean what you did to them," Ashley said with a laugh.

"Well, it's good PR for them plus it gets Emily off my back for a bit," the commander said with a smile.

"It'll also teach Sakura not to lie to me again." As they heard Emily ask her next set of questions

"..So Sakura the people really want to know, is that your natural hair color or do you use a specific product?"

* * *

"I feel like such a tool," whined Naruto as he sat in the shuttle with Sakura seated next to him and Kasumi and Shepard in front of them. He was mostly whining, not because of the mission, but because of the formal suit he was told he would have to wear as a part of this 'party' he was sneaking into.

After agreeing to assist Kasumi, Shepard stated that as part of the deal she would come along to act as backup should things go bad. Thane was also a part of the mission as he would essentially be back-up with the Commander should anything, and most likely would, go wrong. Despite her protests, Shepard had a feeling that Sakura wouldn't be the best fit for the mission given her already growing hostility towards the Goto woman especially given Kasumi's flirty nature towards the blond shinobi.

Where they headed turned out to be in the Serpent Nebula cluster where this Donovan Hock that Kasumi told them about is hold up and happening to be holding this party that they were going to infiltrate to retrieve Kasumi's item.

"Quit whining Naruto," Shepard stated, "You've done undercover missions haven't you? This is just like those at home."

Ignoring his pout and mutterings, Shepard turned back to Kasumi "How are you and him going to get in?"

"Simple really," the thief smugly stated. "Our boy here will go in to the party with a cover and slowly work his way to the vault. After which, we just go in, grab my item and hopefully get away before none the wiser."

"Seems too easy," Thane added in his usual quiet tone.

"What's my cover?" Naruto asked since he wanted to be ready for his mission.

"A weapons dealer by the name of Solomon Gunn."

"That won't work for him," Shepard interjected, "He's too well known now."

Kasumi didn't think of that. _This is a problem _she thought while Naruto looked like he was trying to think of something as he was scratching his chin. It was then his eyes snapped open and it looked like he got his idea.

"Kasumi-Chan, can I use a different name?"

"Yes, it wouldn't be difficult to change the cover name, why?"

"I've got an idea on how to get me in," he said with the smirk he had become famous for back in his village.

* * *

A dark haired, pale skin man with short hair walked into the mansion where the party of being held, followed by a hooded woman. Handing the guard his invitation the man was surprised that he was being held up.

"But everything is in order correct? This was the invitation that I received to come here," he stated to the guard in a raised voice.

"That isn't the problem sir, we just need to check the item you brought with you," the guard stated, an Eclipse mercenary.

"Is there a problem here mister?" came the voice of the party host himself, Donovan Hock.

"Ah, my name is Minato Namikaze, I'm a weapons dealer and brought this gift in the form of this statue as thanks," he replied in explanation with a statue that looked oddly like the late SPECTRE Saren. He watched the host and noticed he was just a normal looking guy though he would label him on the smarmy side of things.

"I see, I see Mister Namikaze but you do understand that in our line of work, we can't be too careful," Donovan assured him." However I must insist that your assistant remain outside."

"Why is that?" but he was cut off by a cough from the woman causing the men to turn to her.

"It is not a hassle sir, I can easily await until you are done with the party."

"Very well, as you wish my dear," Minato replied with a slight nod towards her.

"Thank you Mister Namikaze, please enjoy the party and excuse me as I have other guests to meet," Donovan finished as he left and the guard beckoned for Minato to enter the party.

Walking through, he could smile and nod as he passed by the various other guests at the party and he heard though the radio in his ear the voice he was waiting for.

"Good work Naruto, I'll make my way in and I'll meet you across the main hall so we can get to work," came from Kasumi as Naruto could only smile in his disguise as he made his way through the lobby to the party.

_I wonder if I really do look like Sai _he thought about his disguise he has passed a few women who smiled and waved in his general direction. _I hope this henge holds…_

* * *

Sitting in the shuttle and waiting Shepard had to admit his disguise was brilliant and typical of Naruto's creativity, using his father's name, at least that's what he told them it was, and transforming into an image of his team mate Sai .

"Are you not concerned with the boy's safety?" Thane suddenly asked. The pair had begun a game of chess as a way to pass the time since they had no clue how long it would take.

"Don't worry, they should be fine and even if we don't trust Kasumi we both know that Naruto can take care of himself," the commander said while trying to decide if she should move that pawn or try to set up taking out his bishop, "Why the concern Thane?"

The Drell was silent for a few moments before answering "We have had many enlightening conversations about our apparent shared profession. I find his views on our, how he calls it 'art', interesting."

Then after a brief pause, "Plus he's been trying to convince me to seek out this 'baachan' of his when we return to his planet next to see if there's a possible cure for my condition. I tried explaining my views but he can be quite passionate when winning one over to his side."

"I see…" was all the red head was able to reply with. As far as she knew, Naruto didn't really talk with any of the other crew or her team members but now it appears that like her and Tali and Samara, Naruto has found his way into the lives of all aboard the Normandy.

* * *

"Is there anything else you need Mordin-san?" Sakura asked the Salarian professor as she finished up clearing off the table that became covered in various instruments that the man was using for whatever experiment he was doing this time. However, right now he was being unusually quiet, especially around the Shinobi she recalled as the man barely acknowledged Naruto's presence before he left for the 'mission'.

_Still don't get why I couldn't have gone. Not like I would have killed that woman. _Sakura thought to herself but perhaps it would be better since Naruto can be quite jumpy especially when she was on the warpath.

"No, thank you very much for your assistance Sakura. You have been invaluable as always. You may leave when you're ready to. " He stated without even turning away from the screen he was looking at and waving his hand dismissingly at her.

Turning to walk away she noticed a lone data-pad on the table. It wasn't the usual type that Mordin had around but it appeared to be a book not too dissimilar to the one that Quarian girl wrote about Naruto. Looking down at it she read the title out loud, "Icha Icha Paradise: the Yellow Flash Chronicles" and just started gritting her teeth as Mordin turned around and was going to try to stop Sakura as it looked like the girl was about to have a stroke but then Sakura's eyes lit up and she just shouted one word.

"NAAARRRUUUTTTOOOOOOO!"

* * *

"GAH!" yelped Naruto from where he was standing down by the vault in the mansion.

"You alright?" Kasumi asked standing in front of him as she prepared to open the vault door.

"Just felt a chill down my spine" replied the once again blond haired Uzumaki Naruto. After he worked his way past the various guests, he found that Kasumi was using whatever she used to become invisible when she first attacked him to sneak in and meet up at the designated spot. As they worked their way past the part guests and a few of the guards they found their way to the vault door, only to find they would have to back track and collect some things that Naruto didn't really understand why they needed it. They ended up working their way from the outside balcony and into Hock's personal quarters. _I could have used a seal to counter act the security but she insists she's the expert _he thought to himself about the pain of collecting all the items needed as he heard her finally open the door to the vault.

Entering the massive room Naruto was in awe of the various items in there from the odd statues to the giant stone head in the center marked "Statue of Liberty." Following closely behind Kasumi, the pair made their way to what she called "the graybox" as Naruto found an interesting weapon on the table nearby, looking very similar to one of those sub-machine guns he trained with but it looked different than the ones he'd seen on the Normandy. Being the good little Shinobi he was he didn't think anyone would mind if he 'borrowed' the weapon and took it to take back to the ship. Tenten wouldn't stop hounding him for days if he did pass it up. As Kasumi began to try and open the box they got a surprise as a giant head of Donovan Hock appears via a holographic display above them.

"Sweet Kami not again…" was all Naruto could say as he'd sworn he'd been down this road before with the threats the man started spewing at them.

* * *

Shepard was just sitting and reading the 'book' that Naruto had apparently written while Thane had opted to do a meditation exercise to pass the time. _Don't know why they're so uptight about it, I've read much worse _was what the commander thought from reading the collection of stories. While it was mostly adventure there was some low brow humor and a few instances of what she would label as 'smut' but nothing to get worked up about. _Then again, these characters are very much like the people in his life so if he wrote about me like that I'd probably be annoyed too._

It was at this point the commander made a mental note to have a quick chat with Naruto about any ideas he might get about writing a book based on his adventures with her and the Normandy. The line of thinking led to her recalling the discussion she had with Sakura regarding the commander's knowledge about Naruto's family and most of all her resemblance to his mother Kushina. Like with Tsunade, Shepard assured Sakura that she had no knowledge at all and was just as surprised when she discovered it though if anything it may explain why the young man bonded with her so easily.

That seem to have done the trick with the pinkette as the discussion was dropped though Shepard knew there was essentially a threat there much like Tsunade gave her: hurt Naruto and you die.

Shepard's recalling of the conversation thankfully ended when the communicator can on with Kasumi's voice.

"We're done and headed for the landing pad Shepard. Please come and pick us up."

* * *

Fighting through all those Eclipse mercenaries wasn't too difficult for Kasumi and her Shinobi partner. In fact, she was amazed to see him in full out combat as it looked like he wasn't holding much back, given the amount of copies he made of himself during the fighting, much less those 'jutsu' he used. The Giant security mech that was probably Hock's trump card didn't last long either as Naruto just ran around it while sticking it with paper tags that exploded before he hit it with a blue ball of energy in his hand to tear the machine to pieces.

"Well done, I should work with you more often," Kasumi commented as they reached the doors to the landing pad.

"As I said, I aim to please," he replied with the usual smile as they walked through the doors and walked up the stairs to the pad only to be greeted by Donovan Hock and his shielded gunship. Kasumi started to run at the ship and in another time and place she would have been able to jump onto it and disable it's shield systems, however, here and now Donovan pulled the gunship back and Kasumi couldn't jump up in time.

She was only saved from being torn apart by the ships gun by some timely Shinobi speed care of Naruto who grabbed her and got them to cover as the Gunship hovered in its spot.

"My hero," the thief said jokingly to the Shinobi before turning serious again, "this isn't good. He'll tear us apart as long as he's got those shields."

Looking at Naruto, she could tell he was trying to come up with something and if what she gathered from her new "crew mates" was accurate, it was most likely outside the box.

"Can you keep him off me for a minute or so?" he asked.

"I can, what do you have in mind?"

"Ending this with a bang," he answered with a smirk and Kasumi could swear that red circles began to appear around his eyes and his irises turned yellow.

* * *

"There's a Gunship at the shuttle pad ma'am, we'll be torn apart if it sees us, what would you like to do?" the unnamed shuttle pilot noted to the commander.

"What?" Shepard shouted as she opened the door to see off in the distance the Gunship hovering over the pad. She couldn't tell if it was firing on the pad or if it was lying in wait but she knew she needed to think of something fast.

Thane quickly joined the commander at the door and echoed her thoughts, "We need to come up with a plan to help them. I doubt they have the weapons needed to deal with that."

It was then they saw a flash of blue on the pad that grew into a large blue disc shape from what the women could see at their distance before it started to fly off the pad and towards the Gunship, striking it and expanding into a giant blue ball.

"I don't think I want to know what that is but I can guess this is one of those jutsu's of Naruto's that he can't use under normal circumstances" Shepard mused out loud recalling in other missions where Naruto had been forced to hold back due to the destructive nature of his techniques.

"It's quite the weapon of mass destruction" Thane commented as the brightness from the 'jutsu' was only just beginning to dim leaving no sign of the gunship at all.

As the shuttle got closer and landed on the landing pad they saw Kasumi and Naruto waiting. Kasumi was still holding the graybox while Naruto was just standing there, as Sakura would put it, "trying to look cool."

"You guys ok?" The Commander asked while looking around to see that there was no one else around and then she turned back to Kasumi, "So, we done here?"

"Yes, I have everything I need, thank you," she replied.

As the shuttle lifted off and headed back towards orbit to meet up with the Normandy, Shepard just stated a very simple message.

"Welcome to the team Kasumi Goto. We'll get you settled in on the Normandy as soon as we arrive" Shepard finished while she looked across the shuttle to see Thane and a very animated Naruto obviously discussing whatever he used to take down the gunship.

"Thank you" was the answer the thief gave in a very low and sad tone obviously with her thoughts being elsewhere.

* * *

The Normandy was once again on the move and at this point it was 'nighttime' on the ship so there was very little activity going on. In the lab of Mordin Solus the professor was just sitting, still starting at the results he got and finally putting the pieces together.

It was the sole reason why whenever he saw any of the Shinobi in recent days he was standoffish and not even talking to them as he normally did to others. It wasn't their fault but Mordin couldn't help but feel odd, even guilty for what he knew and what was most likely the intended destiny for the people of Shin303 had the Protheans not fallen to the Reapers.

Looking back, the signs were there especially given how the Collector attacked Naruto's specific village rather than just some random place and how they were more interested in finding something to counter the shinobi and their abilities instead of eliminating them much less collecting them like they have been doing with the human colonies to date.

What was in front of him was a scan Miranda Lawson had requested the Normandy do on the moon of Shin303 after she had research the people's history. The scan showed that the moon had the ruins of what was guessed to be a Prothean lab or outpost of some sort. According to the files Mordin read, the history of Shin303 tells of the myth of the Sage of Six Paths sealing the body of the ten tailed beast in the moon.

_And all myths are based in a bit of truth _Mordin thought as he looked back at the deep scan image, which was the one that shocked him. At the center of the moon was a part that was hollowed out, obviously attached to the lab-outpost for the research that was taking place. There was no mistake what was at the center. Mordin had seen the reports that Cerberus had on them during his research to counter them and the Collectors. It all added up since there has not been any other reported encounter with beings of pure energy like those "tailed beasts" that the people of that world called demons.

_What were they thinking? Were they that desperate in doing what they did to these people in their final hours while fighting them?_

"What a horrible thing to do. Experiment on the entire population to try and evolve them into creating living weapons." He mused out loud hoping that even the counter measures he put up were blocking the ship board AI. No one needed to know about this until he could consult with Shepard privately and discuss the proper course of action.

For at the center of the moon of Shin303 lay the remains of a Reaper.

* * *

Author's note: No excuses this time or tall tales or anything like that. Just the usual waiting for GT and then the rewriting process. This time the rewrite took a bit longer mostly because I had to remove a character as Sakura originally had a bigger role but after I initially wrote the story and went back for a re-read I realized that she was in it a bit too much. I did keep (well, slightly altered) the bit about Sakura finding the icha icha because when I can get GT to laugh out loud at something and she did with that part then I know it's something worth keeping.

There was also the fact that many characters were getting loss in the shuffle and that the story itself was losing its direction a bit meant for big changes starting with this chapter and beyond. Hopefully I can get it back on the rails again for those who are still remaining to read it.

The bit with Mordin is another "leap of faith" point that I hope everyone will be willing to take with me as it's another part of my way of further tying the two series together toward the end of the story.

I know, the interview with Emily Wong could have been better but I truthfully didn't really want to do much with it right now so we'll see fallout from it later in the story. Sorry to have let anyone down with that bit but I really wasn't planning on much to come of it until it hit me later in the story so I came back and found this is a spot to start working it in.

Translations:

Henge - basically it's the transformation technique that shinobi of Naruto's world use to disguise themselves and so forth.

I think that's about it so thanks for reading and see you next time.


	18. Chapter 18

Naruto Effect

Chapter 18

* * *

Tuchanka, home world for the Krogan race. It was a desolate, barren world that had constant blowing winds and no visible form of plant life. The reason for that is simple: the Krogan people caused the damaged themselves with wars that nearly destroyed the planet. To Uzumaki Naruto, the general look of the planet reminded him of Sunagakure, although he doubted that Suna ended up that way due to some ancient war. Still, he would want to show people of his world what this place looks like to remind them that wanting and thirsting for war isn't a good thing.

Currently, Naruto and his 'Team Konaha' were waiting by their shuttle on this world, with Naruto actually sitting on top, while Shepard along with Mordin and Grunt went inside the complex to talk with the leader of this clan.

They had come to this world for two reasons; the first being that Grunt was growing increasingly aggressive recently, to the point where the Krogan himself noticed that there was an issue. With no medical basis to go by for his condition, it was off to his home world to hope to get answers. The other reason lay in that their resident genius, professor Mordin, had a member of his old squad seemingly in trouble on this world. Naruto wasn't as close to the Salarian as he'd have liked, but Sakura got along with him and told Naruto of the many things she learned as she worked in his lab with him. Still, wanting to help a former squad mate is something the four Shinobi could easily understand so they held no fault with the request.

Although in recent days he seemed to have become more and more distant from Naruto and his team. It was almost as if they did something wrong but Naruto himself guessed it was stress related with the mission and what happened with his former team mate. _I should talk to Shepard-neechan about it after this mission.n_

Still, it was dull waiting for Shepard to return and let them know what exactly she wanted all of them here for.

"Hey kid," Came a voice that Naruto ignored till it got louder. "Hey Blondie, I'm talking to you!"

Looking down, Naruto saw a pair of the Krogan guards had walked over and one was shouting to him "Ya?" came Naruto's reply, not sure at all what this guy wanted.

"You're Naruto right?" he was asked. "The Gethslayer and all that?"

"And if I am?" Naruto asked back, not wanting to start anything since he was supposed to be 'behaving himself'. The conversation got the attention of the other Shinobi as they appeared in the doorway of the shuttle just watching all the Krogan carefully. They knew enough from dealing with Grunt that he was dangerous alone and a group of his people could be big trouble for all involved.

"Heard about you from a pal of mine. Said you out ate him at some sort of food stand on the Citadel."

Naruto laughed nervously as he recalled his first visit to the Citadel, "Oh yea, that."

He heard Tenten whisper something to Sakura, most likely asking what the Krogan was talking about and only to be followed by an "I should have known" from his bun-haired friend when Sakura whsipered her the answer.

"Well kid, since you won on your turf how would you feel about doing something on ours? You know, to see if you were just lucky and all…"

"Like what?" came Sakura's voice, obviously curious herself at what the guard could be aiming at.

"Let's just say, it's a feat of strength," he said with an odd smile that only a Krogan could do.

"FEATS OF STRENGTH! YOSH! I WILL GLADLY JOIN MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL IN TAKING PART IN THESE FEATS OF STRENGTH!" Lee shouted, growing excited at the prospect of doing something possibly 'youthful' along with the chance to better his own self declared rival that was Naruto.

"Well, Fuzzy-brows is physically stronger than me…." Naruto started, scratching his chin thinking that maybe he can get out of this and let Lee have his fun at the same time.

"I think there's another here that could make it interesting so both of you guys could take us on," came the voice of a second Krogan guard clearly not letting Naruto out of it.

Bending down so that he could see into the shuttle and look at the person he wanted to see, "Well Sakura-Chan? Can we?"

She would regret not saying no to Naruto's smile.

* * *

Commander Shepard wasn't happy with the meeting with the chief scout or with the clan leader. Neither were really open to sharing information but at least she got what she needed to help her crew members and now it was just a matter of how to divide up her forces she had on the planet. Heading back to the shuttle pad, she decided to try and get an idea what both her companions would like in terms of a squad.

"Grunt, who do you want to go with you on this 'initiation' thing?" she asked the Krogan with her.

Without hesitation Grunt gave an answer in his typical fashion, "I want the kid and my little buddy with me." Making it clear that he wanted Naruto and Lee.

"Fine for the girls to come with us Mordin?"

"I have no problems with them as both have proven they are quite capable and have skilled perfect for this situation. Sakura's medical knowledge would be an asset in case Maelon has been injured while Tenten's combat and weapons expertise would be perfect for covering our medic as well as being support for ourselves," the professor stated very oddly to Shepard, well, odd to her. _He must still be bothered about what he told me. _She thought recalling the meeting the man had with her upon her return from the mission with Kasumi Goto.

"Works for me, just behave with the boys Grunt."

"Hehe, I make no promises," came from the Krogan as the door to the shuttle pad opened and to the shock of the three, they found the guards cheering and yelling around something.

"What the hell?" Shepard said and they moved quickly to see what was happened and nearly fell over at what they saw. There was Naruto and Lee, each facing off with a Krogan and arm-wrestling them while others were cheering and making bets.

_This is just like the last time_ Shepard thought to herself as she recalled Naruto's last dealing with a Krogan other than Grunt. _Where the hell are Sakura and Tenten? I brought them along to keep the boys from getting into this sort of trouble…_

"SHANNARO! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE NARUTO!" came a female shout.

"THE SAME TO YOU LEE!" came another female voice.

"I should have known," Shepard said to herself as she heard the shouting from the girls in question as they cheered on their team mates, forgetting that even though the girls were calmer, they were both equally as competitive as their male counterparts. Shaking her head, she decided that there could be worse things going on because it was a bunch of Krogans involved after-all. Watching carefully, she could see that the Krogans were nearly winning though Naruto was holding on while Lee seemed to have a better time going.

It was then that Lee let out a sudden declaration, "My youthful fist is burning! It is telling me that I must win in this duel." And then as the Shinobi began to push harder against his opponent he shouted some more, " GAI-SENSEI, GUIDE MY HAND!" as he slammed the Krogan's arm down.

"You won!" came a shout from Tenten as she practically tackled Lee. The pair then turned to see Naruto being kissed by Sakura as it was obvious that he had won his 'battle' during Lee's speech.

"I see you won as well my friend," Lee commented towards Naruto.

"Huh, you say something Lee?" he questioned back and watched the Taijutsu's users face change into shock.

"You've picked up your sensei's cool-hip attitude Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted back while pointing an accusing finger at him.

Before anything further could be said they were stopped by Shepard who gave them all a questioning look before Naruto quickly stated

"Sakura-Chan said it was ok!"

"WHAT!"

* * *

Following the Chief scout's Intel, Shepard along with Mordin and the Kunoichi used the ground transport and headed towards the hospital/fortress of the Weyrloc clan. This was where Mordin's team-mate was being held according to the chief scout. The ride over had been surprisingly uneventful as Sakura had expected their commander to give them one of her semi-lectures about what went down with the boys and the guards as she had become known for doing but so far she hasn't said anything.

The transport came to a stop on the outskirts of their destination.

"We can't go any further so we'll go on foot from here," The commander announced as she exited the vehicle followed by Mordin then Tenten and finally Sakura.

"What's the plan Taichou?" came from Tenten as she was looking around the area at the same time and spotted some barricades on the roadway in front of them.

"We'll move ahead and fight our way through till we get to the hospital from which we'll do our best to find this Maelon. Tenten, take point," Shepard ordered to the group.

Sakura just kept quiet and followed and tried to keep her mind on the task at hand as Tenten signaled that there was trouble ahead but she couldn't as her thoughts hoped that Naruto and Lee were fine with Grunt and whatever initiation their Krogan crew-mate had to go through.

* * *

"I can't believe you hit that fellow Naruto-kun."

"He had it coming to him," Grunt added, not happy with the way that Krogan spoke to them.

"He was being an ass to us and it seemed like the best plan at the time," Naruto replied as they stood outside in the arena like place near a giant stone pile driver where this trial for Grunt was to take place. The 'fellow' was Gatatog Uvenk, a Krogan battlemaster who seemed to have issue with Grunt taking this challenge, much less him having Naruto and Lee with him. One head butt later, care of Naruto, and the Shaman who was in charge of the trials declared that the three could take part, noting how he "liked these Shinobi."

"Hit the button over there kid," Grunt shouted at Naruto. "Let's get this party started."

Walking up to the structure, Naruto did as he was asked and hit the button. As the giant stone driver was lifted up, there was a speech about the history of the Krogan and their rise into the stars. Then the massive stone dropped and slammed into the ground with a great force that shook the ground all around.

As the three stood in silence, they heard howling in the distance from what sounded like several creatures.

"Oi Lee, no guns. Whoever gets the least kills of whatever is coming has to buy the first round," Naruto said with a smile to his friend.

"Yosh! I accept your youthful challenge. May the burning flames of our courage lead us to Victory Naruto-kun, Grunt-san!"

Grunt couldn't help but laugh as any doubt about bringing these two along was now long gone.

"Haha, I'm in too. Bring it on!" The Krogan shouted as his trial began.

* * *

In her studies with her master, Sakura was exposed to many things in the medical world. From healing wounds to counteracting poisons to treating burns, she had experienced quite a bit. That said, she was still a bit put off whenever she saw a dead body like the one of the human near the entrance of the hospital which was currently being examined by Mordin.

"Why Humans?" Shepard mused/asked towards the Professor as he continued his scans and ran off the lists of what had affected the poor soul.

"Your species has many variances that allowed it to be the perfect test bed. That said, Human experimentation is not something I agree with or subscribe to. To put it simply, it's wrong," Was the reply he got from the Salarian.

"Reminds me of some of the people we found at that lab of Orochimaru's," Tenten commented while Sakura silently nodded in agreement with her fellow Shinobi.

"Naruto mentioned that name before back on the Collector ship. From what he said, this Orochimaru was a bad person?" Shepard asked towards her Shinobi since she was genuinely curious about the person in question.

Taking a breath, Sakura began to tell a brief bio of the former Snake-Sannin, "Orochimaru was a member of our village. He was a team mate of Tsunade-sama and Naruto's master Jiraiya. At some point he became obsessed with immortality and began to kidnap people within the village and do experiments on them. When the Hokage at the time discovered it, Orochimaru escaped and vowed to destroy our village."

"Nearly did too if it wasn't for Naruto-kun," Tenten added, recalling what she heard about the fight during the Chuunin exams and Naruto's battle with Gaara.

_Another story to hear about_ Shepard thought to herself as she made a mental note to ask about that incident on a later date. _Perhaps Zaeed's comment when Naruto first got on board about the young man seeing too much for his age actually held some merit._

"Immortality? Interesting though that would be ultimately futile. There is no such thing, everything lives and everything dies the circle of life. Although it would be quite the conversation to have with him about it and his ideas as he sounded like he was quite the scientist," Mordin commented, almost talking normally in the presence of the Shinobi for the first time in a bit, before turning to look at the Shinobi "What happened to him? Was he stopped? Did he succeed in his quest? I admit I am curious as to his results."

"We were told that he was killed by my former team mate Uchiha Sasuke when he tried to take possession of Sasuke's body," Sakura answered with the knowledge she had on the incident. "From what we were told, Orochimaru had developed a way to take over others bodies as a way to extend his own life."

"No wonder Naruto was concerned on the ship. If the Collector's got a hold of him who knows what sort of problems they could have caused everyone," Shepard noted slightly happy that they maybe caught a break for a change with this Orochimaru thankfully being gone.

"We've lingered long enough Shepard, we should get moving again," Mordin announced.

"Lead on," replied the commander as they proceeded further into the hospital/fortress.

* * *

For the third time, Naruto hit the button as the giant pile driver once more began to go into the sky before falling back to the ground. The last time, a bunch of bug like things that Grunt called 'Klixen', attacked in a few waves before being driven off by a mix of Grunt's weapons and Naruto's Wind based Jutsus. This time, there were no roars but the ground continued to shake as giant tentacle like feelers began to emerge from the ground around the perimeter of the arena.

"What is that?" Grunt questioned before the there was an explosion and a giant worm like creature with huge mandible like tusks came out of the ground.

"Oh…shit!" cursed Lee, who never swore.

"It's a Thresher Maw!" Grunt shouted, "Watch out for its acid!" as the creature began to spit acid like a cannon towards the three, "We need to kill this thing quickly – before the sun sets" the Krogan added reminded the group of the time limit set with the trail.

"Cover me, I've got an idea," Naruto said to his team mates as he pulled off his gloves and bit into his thumb before swiping the blood across his palm before running into an open spot and quickly performing hand signed before slamming his hand onto the ground with a shout of "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" and with a giant puff of smoke a giant toad with a blue coat and a short sword as tall as the Thresher Maw appeared.

"Whoa," came from Grunt.

"Oi Gamabunta, I need your help with this one"

"**What trouble have you gotten into this time…**" the toad started to ask before laying its eyes on the Thresher Maw in front of it.

"**What the hell is that!**"

* * *

Right now, Shepard was annoyed at the grandstanding Krogan in front of them, or in this case above them on the balcony, prattling on and on about how the cure for the Genophage will allow their clan to rise up ands rule all Krogan. Just as she was about to end this windbags life with a gunshot, the Krogan and his Vorcha troops all fell to the ground as Sakura and Tenten appeared up on the balcony.

"I've seen Naruto do it several times but still these Shinobi are simply amazing in their speed and tactics," Mordin commented, "I would fear what would happen if their people truly did turn their eyes towards the galaxy…"

Shaking her head, Shepard just began to walk up to the door at the top of the stairs, "I think I'm going to have to tie a bell on all of them."

Before walking forward to join them Mordin stopped and quietly addressed the commander, "Shepard, about my findings…"

"Relax, we'll both sit with them and explain it to them." Shepard began, "They may not like it but remember, it's not your fault. It's the Protheans but think about it this way," she started with a pause while looking at the pair in front of her, "they may have left us with a way to fight back and even win if what you found is accurate."

"I will try Shepard but it is difficult. Experimentation on this scale is immoral, especially given what the intended results should have been if the information and data is accurate…"

Cutting off Mordin with a raised hand, Shepard spoke, "I know but they are not weapons like the Protheans hoped they would be. Just remember that they are here because they want to be, just like Naruto wanted to before we learned about all of this."

"Thank you Shepard, I will keep that in mind."

"Taichou, what are you waiting for?" Sakura shouted back to the pair.

Shaking her head at the girls, Shepard opened the door and led the party down the hallway. Moving quickly, they fought through the final groups of the clan along with Tenten using her explosive tags attached to her Kunai to quickly dispatch the Clan head despite his armor and shields.

"Finally, we can get to Maelon and get him out of here," Mordin stated as they began to make the final push towards where the Professor's squad mate was being held.

* * *

Back up on the Normandy, life was going on as normal despite one of the team member's current annoyance and it was the newest one at that. Kasumi Goto prided herself on being able to pick any and all locks and get into any room that she wanted to go. The security systems on the ship were top notch and for the most part unbreakable, except to a professional like her.

However, there was one place on the ship she couldn't get into. Through the main door or even via air ducts and other means, the area was completely shut off and impregnable to her or anyone else for that matter. The room in question was the Observation deck where the Shinobi were quartered and it seem that despite Kasumi easily getting through the hardware lock, there was another lock over the room. The difference being it was more like a force field and one the likes she has not seen before.

Everything that she knew, every tool, every pick, trick, decryption and idea she had couldn't get past that field.

"You best not try any further, you will only cause yourself damage if you continue," came a voice from behind that belonged to the assassin Thane Krios.

Ignoring the warning, she reached out and tried to touch the part on the shield where it looked like a hand would interact with it only to receive a slight shock.

"What is this? I've not seen anything like this at all before," she asked.

"From what I've been told, Naruto is a 'seal master in training' and he placed a seal over the quarters to keep those who would be curious out." The Drell answered in his usual calm voice, "I am unsure how exactly it works other than it keeps people out when none of the Shinobi are around."

"Why? Do they have something to hide?"

"No, I believe after Naruto expressed to the Commander about using similar for the entire ship and she turned him down he decided he needed to 'prove a point' and placed it over the quarters so that only the Shinobi can enter or exit."

"Hmmm, I guess I'll have to talk with him about it and try to figure out how to crack it," Kasumi stated trying best to hide her excitement over the idea of cracking a lock that's considered 'unbreakable'.

"Then I will wish you luck though if those who are closer to him such as Yeoman Chambers and Tali are unable to get access then I cannot see how you would be able to?" Thane stated plainly and logically.

"You wound me Mister Krios," Kasumi mockingly replied, "I have my own ways of getting what I want" she answered and turned to him with what Thane could classify as a 'dangerous smile'.

* * *

A quick sneeze from Naruto made him wonder if someone was currently talking about him. Shaking off the thought, he focused back on the present with that one Krogan from earlier trying to give Grunt an offer he couldn't refuse because of what they did just a little while ago. With the help of Gamabunta along with some timely shots from grunt, the three managed to complete the trial and slay the Thresher Maw.

Now the Gatatog Uvenk, who objected to their taking part in the first place, the one Naruto gave a head butt to, appeared trying to convince Grunt to join up with their clan. While the offer was a good one, it was also a hallow one. Naruto has seen this thing many a time with rich families and even clans within Konoha trying to do arranged marriages in which one party was just a trophy or a prize with no real freedom whatsoever.

This is the exact same thing here especially given how the Clan would enforce a 'no mating' policy against his friend.

"You offer is tempting," Grunt started before finishing, "but Shepard is my battle master and these two are my pals so I think I'll say no to your offer."

"Why would you do something so foolish," shouted Uvenk to the three, "Look around you, what could a tank born and two human children hope to achieve here? What makes you think you can take victory from myself and my squad of battle hardened soldiers?"

That was when Rock Lee stepped forward and with the sun setting behind him gave a very simple answer, "Because victory will go to the one's with the greater courage!"

Taking advantage of the shock, especially from two of the Krogan who fell to their knees and began sobbing, to those opposing him Lee tossed a smoke bomb to create confusion and the two Shinobi plus Krogan headed for cover.

"Looks like the party isn't over yet," Grunt remarked to Naruto

"Guess we should let them in on the fun," he replied with his usual smirk while looking at Lee who gave his patented Thumbs up.

It was definitely an interesting way to settle the bet with all three of them locked in a tie.

* * *

Shepard couldn't help but feel for Mordin after what they discovered, which was in fact that Maelon wasn't kidnapped but was in fact helping of his own free will in an effort to find a cure of the genophage. After hearing out Maelon the professor did the only sensible thing and knocked the poor bastard out. _At least I was able to convince him not to kill _him Shepard recalled after Mordin had debated on actually shooting the other scientist.

His data however, was the issue until Sakura suggested that maybe someday the galaxy could be ready for the Krogan to be cured and that it would be waste to let it go. The commander sensed that the pink haired had another motive in mind and made it a point to speak with her about any ideas she had to try to develop a cure herself. Last thing they needed was for the Krogan to be cured suddenly with the Reapers on their way and all.

Arriving back at the main camp, the commander and her squad found Grunt, Naruto and Lee waiting for them looking none the worse for wear minus the obvious signs of dirt and scratches on them.

"How did it go?" she asked the three.

"We kicked ass!" Naruto answered with a smile, "and Grunt is going to be sticking with us for a while."

Looking over at the Krogan, he gave his version of a thumb's up to the Commander.

"You're not hurt are you?" came from Sakura in an accusing tone as she began to raise her hands to check on the blond Shinobi for any injuries.

"I'm fine Sakura-Chan."

"If you say so," though Shepard got the distinct impression that the medic didn't believe him. Lucky for all, their communicators went off with the voice of the ship board A.I.

"Shepard, there are now several mating requests for Grunt from the local female clan." And after a short pause "and one request each for Naruto and Rock Lee along with some asking for copies of 'the teachings of Gai-sensei'."

Before Naruto could even try to give a witty reply Sakura just answered with a definitive "Don't even think about it Baka. You belong to me remember?" and then turning to Lee, "and you don't even think about spreading 'youth" any more than you already have."

With the threat hanging in the air, the Commander knew it was time to get her crew off the planet and back on the Normandy for their next mission.

* * *

The next mission didn't wait for long as Jack had asked for Shepard to take her to the world where Cerberus had taken her and begun the 'experiments' on her, a jungle world named Pragia. It was clear to the red headed commander that the volatile biotic wanted some closure and Shepard didn't see any harm in that.

A quick jump though the local Mass relay and they were at the world in question and despite Miranda's misgivings about going there, Shepard gave the go ahead and taking Tali along went down to the planet to help Jack settle things. A short tour through the thought abandoned Cerberus facility, where they learned a bit about Jack's younger days, they had a quick fight when a local mercenary group looking for salvage along with meeting another of the facilities former residents . It turned out to be better in the long run as meeting this person allowed Jack to gain a measure of closure about her past and her time at this facility.

"You know Shepard, I'm surprised you didn't bring Naruto along. You seem to enjoy running him on missions," Tali commented to the commander as they waited for the shuttle to land now that Jack's business is done and the unstable woman was wanting to use a bomb to blow the place sky high.

"and that's exactly why he stayed up there. I've been pushing those kids very hard with missions lately so I figured they deserved the rest," replied the commander while she watched the sky looking for their shuttle.

"Plus I doubt Naruto would have handled seeing this place very well either," Tali commented knowing how emotional her 'little brother' got when it came to how people are treated. Once again, the thought of Naruto made Tali feel odd and again she began questioning herself about her relationship with him.

It was definitely something Tali was going to have to deal with especially since it appeared that Sakura and Yeoman Chambers have worked out some sort of understanding.

"And I sure as hell won't let lollipop see where I came from," Jack stated plainly at the sight and sound of an approaching shuttle, "finally, I can get out of here and blow this place to hell."

"Wait," Shepard stated, "That's not our shut…" but was cut off when she felt a prick on her neck and reached back and pulled out a small dart of some sort and began to feel dizzy.

That was then they heard Tali yell as she was being stunned while Jack was also a victim of a dart and had fallen to the ground.

The last thing the commander saw before passing out was armor that vaguely looked like Blue Suns coming out of the false shuttle.

* * *

"What do you mean 'we're leaving them behind'?" Naruto asked very loudly in the briefing room on board the Normandy.

"You heard me, they were captured by an unknown force and right now we do not know if they are even alive. We should assume the worst and prepare to move out to try and finish the mission without Shepard," Miranda said as she had assumed command of the ship. Once word of the "fake shuttle" had reached the ship, Miranda had called a meeting of the team that was built by Shepard with Naruto representing the Shinobi.

"We...we can't just leave them without finding out," Naruto started, "Let me go, hell, let me and my team go down there. We'll find something!" he started to plead to the dark haired woman, "You know this is the sort of thing we can do."

"I agree with Naruto, let his team go," Kasumi chimed in supporting the Shinobi.

"Ditto," came from Ashley Williams along with a nod in agreement from Garrus.

"Well, it's nice you feel this way but as second in command, should anything happen with Shepard, I take over and I have to not only think about them but the crew of this ship and the mission. The mission comes first and they all understood that. You have your orders and we will prepare to break orbit and leave," Miranda finished.

Shocked by Miranda's turn in these events and the fact the woman was ready to leave her commander, and what he thought was her friend, behind on the world he couldn't stand to be in the briefing room any longer.

"Those who break the rules are trash but those who betray their friend are worse than trash!" was all the young Shinobi said to the gathered crew before he turned and left the room and headed straight for his quarters, not even acknowledging Kelly Chambers as he stormed past her and into the elevator.

Reaching the door he entered to find his team sitting around waiting for him.

"Naruto, what's going on? Asked Sakura concerned by the sudden meeting while their Taichou was away.

"Taichou and the others got jumped on the planet. That bitch Miranda says we'll leave and I suggested that we Shinobi go down to find out. She said no but I am going anyway," he said matter of fatly as he was gathering his gear. This was simple to the Uzumaki, two people who he called "nee-Chan" were in trouble and a third who he called friend was also there. It was a no brainer as Joker would put it in what he should do.

"Well, when do we leave?" came the reply from the pink haired medic with Tenten and Lee nodding in agreement.

"I can't ask you guys to…" but he didn't finish as Sakura put her hand over his mouth.

"Those who break the rules are trash, those who abandon their friends are worse than trash," was the answer he got clearly showing she understood and was ready to follow the first lesson that Kakashi taught them on their first day as a team all those years ago, "We know the risks and we never leave a team mate behind."

"Yosh, we are with you Naruto-kun," Lee noted, his gear packed and ready.

"They're our friends too," Tenten added, smiling and ready to move.

"Ok, then it's time to be good Shinobi and sneak off this ship," He said with a smile and they prepared to move out.

* * *

Despite it being in a highly advanced space ship, the average Shinobi could very easily move about undetected and quickly and quietly they made their way to the shuttle deck and just as the four were about to board the shuttle a voice stopped them.

"Well well, I figured you guys would try something. How did you expect to get the shuttle out without sounding and alarm much less fly it?" came the voice of Garrus Vakarian.

"I have been training," Sakura answered

"Not good enough if you plan on getting down there in one piece," came another voice as Ashley entered the area followed by Kasumi.

"Guess the Shinobi need our help after all," Garrus added with a chuckle.

Looking at each of the newcomers Naruto began to speak, "No, you guys don't have to do this."

"Bullshit, Shepard and Tali are our friends too and we can't let you do it alone," Ashley stated plainly towards the Shinobi while cutting off Naruto's attempt to talk them out of joining them.

"Face it Naruto, they want to help and we should let them," Tenten stated while smiling at her older friend who taught her about the various weapons on this ship.

"Fine, so…what's the plan?" Naruto asked, knowing full well he wasn't going to be able to get away without the help of the older team members.

"Simple, I fly you kids down, you do your thing and they help keep the ship here," Kasumi told them as she went to board the shuttle.

"Umm…isn't this mutiny?" Sakura asked, wondering if anyone thought this whole plan through, well, any of them. Sakura and the rest of her Shinobi knew what they were getting into by doing this.

"Not really since Shepard stated you guys fall outside the general command structure," Garrus noted, "besides, I've heard Lawson is in dispose at the moment."

"What?" Asked Naruto when a new voice came in over the intercom.

"Unfortunately Officer Lawson has become locked in the briefing room and I cannot undo the lock," EDI chimed in followed by Joker saying, "And don't worry, we ain't going anyway."

"There you have it, now go get our commander back Uzumaki Naruto," Ashley Williams said as the Shinobi turned to get on the shuttle and start their "rescue mission."

_Hold on Jack-chan, Tali-neechan and Shepard-neechan. I'm not leaving you behind. _

* * *

Author's note: Well, I know, a bit of the goofiness came through on this chapter though I think it fits as opposed to the others because to put it simply – letting Rock Lee loose and Naruto loose on the Krogan home world means that silly things are bound to happen. I admit I may have gone a bit over the top with Lee and his speeches but at this point I figured why not.

I hope people don't feel the whole bit with Mordin's side of the mission was rushed as I kinda did gloss over the unimportant fighting but left in the important discussion part. Truth be told, I did think of maybe including Orochimaru in some way in the story but GT echoed my own thoughts in that the cast is already huge to start and adding more people would just get further and further insane.

The rest of the chapter went generally as planned and I hope you like my little twist at the end with the Jack loyalty mission. I really needed something to setup something else later in the story so this way it as my original plan didn't actually work out. Can't say anything more since that's a bit of a spoiler for the next chapter.

Translation:

Kuchiyose No Jutsu – translates to 'Summoning Jutsu' and is a special jutsu that many Shinobi on Naruto's world use to summon special animal tribes into battle usually denoted by a specific contract they have signed with a specific species. In Naruto's case he can summon toads.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	19. Chapter 19

Naruto Effect

Chapter 19

* * *

As her eyes began to flicker open, Jane Shepard regained consciousness only to find herself disarmed and shackled and secured to one of the many large trees that inhabit this world. Looking around she could see that she was being held at a makeshift camp by the shuttle that fooled them with a few of her captors milling about. Judging by their armor, they appeared to be Blue Suns though she had no idea what this batch had wanted with her, despite her actions against them recently. Looking around, she saw Tali across the campsite that was in a similar state as her, although it appeared the Quarian was awake and she gave a slow nod to her Commander.

"Well well, looks like you've finally decided to join us Shepard," spoke a new voice from behind the commander. Turning she could see a Turian standing in his own Blue Sun armor as well as have what appeared to be several scars from burns on his face.

"Who are you? Why did you attack us?" Shepard demanded.

What she got was a small chuckle before the person spoke again, "Come come Shepard, don't tell me you've forgotten me. After all, it was your doing that led us here after you took my prisoner and then destroyed my prison."

Still slightly affected by the drugged dart Shepard tried to think about who this Turian could be. _He mentioned Jack and 'his prison'...wait…it can't be _shethought as she hit a realization and then spoke "but I shot you…"

"Yes, you shot me and left me to die on my ship but like all Turian's, I'm not so easy to kill," the now revealed Kuril, former warden of the prison ship Purgatory, spoke to the commander. "I must say, you were not easy to track but once I did find you, it was just a matter of time until I could reacquire Jack and yourself. Sadly, your little 'Gethslayer' wasn't here as he would have fetched a large amount of credits but the Quarian should at least make it worthwhile."

"So why are we talking and I'm not in space in one of your cells?"

"Ah, you've noticed that. You see, we have a bit of a problem. Your ship isn't leaving and until it does we cannot risk going up there. I need you to tell them to leave. Maybe Cerberus will be willing to pay for your release once this is done," her captor said calmly.

Before Shepard could answer, something went off on his Communicator that got his attention. She watched him listen to the message and then silently signaled to the guards as they grabbed her and Tali and took them closer to their shuttle as he also ordered the powering up of their lone YMIR mech.

* * *

After being dragged closer to the shuttle, Tali found herself close enough to her friend that she could talk or at least whisper to the commander.

"What's going on Sheppard?"

"Something has them spooked. Maybe it's a rescue team," the commander replied, trying to keep as quiet as possible. "Where's Jack?"

"No idea, I'm guessing she's sedated at least," trying to figure out where their squad mate was and then asking again. "You know there's only one person that can get people spooked like this?"

"I know and I can't believe that Miranda would approve it. Much less let him come here," Shepard whispered back before she heard shouting from one of the other guards.

"We've just lost three men! They're not even using guns and they're just kids!"

Shepard then came up with an idea that might get them out without any further bloodshed.

"Kuril listen to me carefully, you are going to lose everyone if this goes on. Let me loose with Jack and Tali and I can put a stop to this," Shepard told the Turian. "You can't win against my Shinobi in this sort of fight."

"We'll see Shepard," Kuril answered before talking into his communicator. "Send out the mech and find them. If possible bring me the Gethslayer alive. Let's see if these Shinobi are as dangerous as the rumors say."

Hearing the reaction Shepard merely shook her head and she just settled down as she heard more of Kuril's men scream out as it was now very clear what was happening – A full team of Shinobi was on the ground and cutting through these Blue Sun's to get to them.

_This should be fun to watch _the commander thought to herself with a small smile knowing already what Naruto was capable of alone much less with a full squad backing him.

* * *

As far as Naruto was concerned, this world called Pragia was very similar to home. Lots of trees and good jumping spots made it seem more like the "forest of death" than some alien world. In other words, they essentially had a home field advantage despite it not being the woods around Konaha. Looking to his left, he spotted Tenten give him the signal that her targets were eliminated as Sakura and Lee also appeared nearby.

"I still can't believe how untrained these mercenaries are. Even a genin can take them all out," Tenten commented.

"I've spotted the Taichou, she and Tali-san were moved closer to their shuttle. There's also one of those giant automaton mechs coming into the woods," Sakura reported.

Thinking about what to do, Naruto decided to make a bit of a flashy entrance to also make a point of what happens when one messes with his precious people.

"Fuzzy brows, Tenten-Chan: move around and clear out the rest of the guards, be quick," he ordered before looking at his genin teammate."Think you can take out that mech with a punch or two?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Sakura replied before asking, "What will you be doing?"

"Making an entrance," he answered with a cocky smirk as the gathered Shinobi vanished, well, mostly vanished while Sakura merely shook her head at her partner's antics before adjusting her gloves and moving towards the mech.

* * *

Tali had seen Naruto many times in action take on and take out enemies before they even knew what hit them but she didn't think how deadly and effective a full team is. Now she knew why he made his threat back at her trial and why he implied that it would be very bad for anyone if they were cut loose on anyone.

And now they were coming to help her. Tali wasn't one to easily say she wanted help or even needed it but it was definitely nice to have it, especially from one who now called her family.

More than that, to her it cemented something that was growing inside her for quite some time and something she was trying to ignore. _Guess it's time for me to tell Sakura and hope she doesn't try to kill me._

A new voice from above them got Tali's attention, along with Shepard's and Kuril's – as the rest of the guards were sent out to try and deal with the Shinobi. It was a voice that Tali was very happy and relieved to hear.

"You better let my Taichou and Nee-Chan go now," Naruto stated while standing on top of the shuttle, "and you better hope that Jack-Chan is alright too. You are already ten seconds away from the most embarrassing moment in your life; I'd hate to turn it into five seconds because you seriously hurt my precious people. You don't want to see me angry. You really don't want to see me angry."

It took Kuril a few seconds to figure out how this young…human...got past the mech much less his men.

"Well, well, if it isn't the vaunted Gethslayer – I should feel honored," Kuril replied with some bravado. "But it's you who should surrender or else my mech will…" but he was interrupted by the head of said YMIR mech rolling by his feat and turning around to see Sakura walking out from the tree line and dusting her hands off. "I can't believe you have trouble with those things Naruto. One punch and they fall right apart."

Kuril was shocked, a mere girl took apart one of the most feared war machines in the galaxy today with just a single punch, from a skinny pink haired girl no less. From the left and right Lee and Tenten then emerged after dispatching the last of the Blue Suns guards. Kuril didn't think and instantly aimed his weapon at Tenten, whom threw a sebon needle at him and hitting his shoulder causing him to turn the gun towards his prisoners as his weapon went off. Without thinking Shepard jumped in front of Tali, in the aftermath guessing that even with her suit's shields disabled; she could take the hit as compared to Tali. She's been hit before but this time it was serious – a direct hit to the chest.

As she hit the ground she could hear screaming but the one thing she really heard before closing her eyes was Naruto's scream of "Nee-Chan!" before she saw an explosion of Red Energy from him as he jumped from the top of the shuttle and right at Kuril.

* * *

Sakura was already moving to the commander and her hands were glowing green by the time she got to the wound. _It's serious but I can treat it_, all the while ignoring the fact that Naruto had completely lost it and had run off into the woods chasing after the Turian that shot the commander.

"Can you help her?" Tali asked with concern in her voice as Sakura didn't notice the woman coming up beside her.

"Yes, I should be able to save her," was the medic's reply. "Lee-san – go into the ship and try to find Jack-san. Tenten, stick close to Naruto and make sure he doesn't go beyond four tails. In his state of mind, I don't think he can maintain the control he normally has over it," she then commanded to the pair of Shinobi.

"It was like the time he showed us it, but…." Tali started

Not looking at the Quarian while she was still trying to heal the wound to the commander. "He's learned how to control the fox to a certain degree but when he gets too emotional it can take over and that could be a problem…"

"Can he be stopped?"

Taking a quick breath Sakura answered, "Yes, I can stop it if need be but let's just hope he's still there enough to calm down himself."

* * *

By the time Tenten caught up with her friend she knew it was too late. She had seen only once Naruto in his "transformed" state and despite that could tell the difference between when he was in control and when he wasn't and this time he clearly wasn't. The first sign was seeing what was left of the alien that was leading this group and judging by the pieces lying around it was obvious that Naruto was in a blind rage when he attacked the poor fellow, though in her mind the guy deserved it. The next sign was the body language of her team leader, less like a person and more animal like, a sure sign that the Fox's basic animal instincts were in full control and Naruto was out of it.

Tapping the communicator in her ear, Tenten knew there was only one way to stop him now, "Sakura, we've got a problem….."

That's when the Kyuubi influenced Naruto turned its attention towards Tenten.

* * *

A bout of coughing and Shepard found that she was in fact not dead but very much alive.

"What happened?" the commander weakly asked to anyone that could be around.

"You were shot and Sakura healed you," Tali replied with a very short answer from her spot beside the commander. Looking over the Quarian could see that the one called Lee had found Jack inside the shuttle and under very heavy sedation, who was now being brought out of it given that's where Sakura was as the radio message from Tenten came in.

"….got a problem. And now he's chasing me," was how the message from Tenten ended.

"Bring him here and I'll handle it," was the reply Sakura gave while still checking over Jack.

Shepard tried to get up but found that Tali wasn't letting her, "Sakura said you shouldn't move… that you nearly died."

"Where's Naruto?"

"That's part of the problem; it seems the being is in control."

Letting out a string of curses Shepard forced herself up despite the massive pain in her chest, "then we've got to do something…"

"I've got this handled Taichou," Sakura started as both she and lee turned towards a spot in the forest. Turning towards that spot Shepard could make out a red light in distance coming closer and closer at a very quick rate, "This is part of the reason why I came along."

Jumping through first, Tenten ran towards the collected group and took up a spot behind them as Sakura had begun to walk towards the tree line and also removed her gloves. As the kyuubi Naruto leapt through and landed on the ground it was the first time for the Normandy crew members to get a look at what could happen when Naruto loses control. Instead of the first time where it looked like the shape was around him, this time there was barely any sign on the young man they knew. His body was covered in a red-black skin with five tails swaying while he was on all fours looking more and more like a fox. The long ears coming form his head also added to the feeling that he was more animal than human at the moment. This all said the feeling of dread and fear they were all getting right now – he had yet to make a move against them and in fact was just waiting, as if it was waiting for them to make the first move.

"Na...Nar...Naruto?" was all Tali could eek out, completely shocked that her 'little brother' and now love could have changed into something like this. It was the first time that Tali would think ill of the dead and right now she wasn't holding Naruto's father in high regards for putting that being into his son.

Forcing herself onto her feet, Shepard looked at Naruto and then to her side as she could see Jack getting ready to attack. "Jack, Don't, that's Naruto."

"What? That's the kid?" shocked and surprised as the violent biotic had missed all of what happened while she was out of it.

"Yes, and it will be up to Sakura to stop him," the commander stated while not taking her eyes off the red creature in front of her.

"Stay back," was all the pink haired girl said as she began to move forward towards the Kyuubified Naruto as she pulled out one of her Kunai and cut into her index finger on her left hand. Dropping the kunai she then took the bloody finger and starting at the palm on her right hand and then running in a line down to about the middle of her forearm.

"What the hell is she doing?" Jack asked towards Tenten and Lee as they were the closest to her.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen this before but I know she has done it," was the answer Tenten gave.

As Sakura began to run forward the blood on her arm glowed a bit before black marking appeared on her arm and the fingers on her right looked like the caught on fire. Gaining speed she kept running at the being in front of her and as it tried to strike at her with one of it's arms she slid feet first along the ground, dodging the attempted strike, and stopped just under it's stomach.

Looking up she raised her right hand and slammed her palm into Naruto's stomach and with a quick whoosh sound the red skin/energy all flashed away and Naruto fell down onto Sakura who grabbed hold of him like he was a drowning man.

No one could say anything at all after seeing this, even Jack who usually had something to say. They all just stood or sat in silence even as the shuttle that Kasumi piloted was flying in to pick up the team.

Despite the mission being a success it felt like they lost something important.

"Damn..." was all that Jack would dare to mutter out loud.

* * *

"They should be imprisoned Shepard. They committed Mutiny!"

"Try locking them up Cheerleader and I'll show you who really the dangerous one here is!"

While they managed to save the team, Naruto's squad did go against orders and Miranda was pushing hard for severe punishment. The commander knew that while what Naruto did was right at the same time it was wrong. _It really doesn't help that they did it to save me too_ she thought knowing that her close bond with the blond Shinobi was probably part of the reason why he went against orders.

"I shouldn't be surprised to hear a criminal back them. Shepard I now strongly suggest we dump these children at the first station we come across and go about our mission. Cerberus doesn't need them if they can't or won't obey orders," Miranda stated, changing her suggestion for punishment.

"Naruto, what would they do in your village if you pulled this stunt?" Shepard asked the blond Shinobi directly.

Naruto closed his eyes a thought for a few seconds before he replied, "Probably locked up for a bit, maybe given a few crappy d-ranked missions for a while. Depends on why I did it I would guess," as he turned to Sakura who nodded as Shepard that since the girl was their leaders appritence that she would have an idea on the punishment.

"Perhaps a middle ground is needed, despite going against order he did do the right and just thing," Samara added in, being involved and all like the others who were also in the briefing room with Shepard, Miranda and the Shinobi team.

"I've made my decision," then turning to the blond Shinobi, "Naruto, since you led this you will take the punishment. From now till the end of the mission you are confined to quarters unless you are required for off world action. Do you understand?"

"Hai Taichou. I am the leader and I take responsibility for my actions," he said.

"You're going too easy on them Shepard and essentially just grounding him like he's a little child," Miranda said, annoyed at the punishment being given out.

"Miranda, I won't cut off my nose just to spit in my face. We will still need him even if he's a loose cannon like you claim," then turning to the other side of the table, "Williams, Garrus – escort him to his quarters." Shepard commanded to the pair and they led Naruto out of the briefing room, "Miranda, a moment please."

As the rest of the team left Shepard looked across the briefing room at her second-in-command and knew there was more to this sudden change of attitude towards the Shinobi from Miranda than just the woman's normal attitude.

"Alright Miranda, what's got you so annoyed with them?" the commander asked in a near sigh, "Last I checked, you and Naruto actually get along now and yet you're acting like a total bitch to him."

Lawson didn't even blink but just gave a simple reply "Some of us have orders that we have to follow Shepard, orders that we can't ignore." Before just turning and walking out of the room.

_What the hell does she….oh no, he better not be trying to pull stuff with this ship again._

* * *

A few days later and Shepard was finally back on their main goal – heading to the Cerberus research team and get that Reaper IFF before trying to pass through the Omega Relay. Approaching the brown dwarf Mnemosyne, the ship was rocked by the force sent out by the massive would be star as Shepard stood up near the helm of the ship as Joker guided them in.

"Why the rough ride Joker?" she asked the helmsman.

"I'm doing the best I can but it's not easy with that brown dwarf out there," Joker replied as the ship was rocked a bit more until it suddenly become a smooth ride.

"There you go Joker," the commander spoke as they spotted what was left of the Reaper ahead of them.

"It's not me, the Reaper is still producing a mass effect field," the helmsman stated.

"Great, just take us in and keep an eye on things," Shepard said as she turned to get ready for the mission on board the ancient ship.

Down in the observation area, which was in fact the Shinobi quarters, the four citizens of Konoha village marveled at the sight they saw.

"This, this is what is coming after us Naruto-kun?" Tenten asked in a quiet voice as the Normandy moved alongside the giant hull of the old Reaper.

"Yup, there's a whole bunch of these things. They will come after everyone unless we stop them," Naruto said with a confident tone.

"We are on a youthful journey. Few against many, odds against us. This is how the old tales are told! Let our burning flames drive us to defeating our massive foes," Lee stated in his usual excited tone.

"Exactly, we'll beat them and save everyone like we always do," Naruto said in response. He was of course ignoring the uneasy feeling inside of him, the one the fox was giving him as it clearly did not want to be near here right now. _Settle down, settle down…it's dead in space _he repeated in his head hoping the fox would hear it and believe him.

Though he was partially trying to reassure himself at the same time too.

* * *

Even though Sakura was given reassurances by Shepard and the others, she did not like being on the station or even anywhere near the insides of this 'Reaper'. But the commander insisted that she come along in case there were any of the personnel on board that required medical attention. Along with them was Garrus and Thane. Sakura had had minimal contact with the pair but knew that they would cover her if need be, not that she was useless or anything.

"It's alright to be scared," Thane stated in his clam voice. "This place makes me uneasy as well."

"I'm just feeling something, like a pressure or something," she told the former assassin.

"I sense it as well as does Shepard," He replied. "Just ignore it for now but if it overwhelms you then alert someone."

"Hai," was the answer he got from the medic.

Sensing the tension, especially with the younger woman in their party being very on edge Shepard felt some chatter was in order. "Sakura, I didn't ask before but I was wondering how were you able to stop Naruto when he lost control back on Pragia?"

"Just a jutsu we developed" was the curt answer that came from the medic.

"You know, you don't have to give details but I was just curious since if you were not around and he needed help that someone else could be taught how to do it" Shepard explained leaving out that she herself wanted to know if she could much less not saying that Tali had also expressed interest in how the Pink haired girl did it.

They were quiet for a few minutes as they worked their way through the seemingly abandoned station and Shepard thought that Sakura had all but decided not to answer when the girl started to speak.

"If Naruto is considered the prison, and his seal is the lock then I am the key." She said, "It's something that cannot be taught to others."

"Considering what he has told us, were you also given the task at birth as Naruto was?" came the question from Thane, whom had come to see the Shinobi as Kindred spirits to himself given their similar professions.

"No, it was a task originally given to his godfather but when he was killed the key went to Naruto." She answered, knowing what Thane was trying to get it, "Once I learned of it I asked Naruto if I could be the key's holder and after a little of work because of circumstances that both myself and Naruto have the key was passed to me."

"and this is something that's not known to your people?" Garrus asked entering the conversation

"no, we decided that it would be best to say it's a jutsu we developed because it would create more questions than answers." She replied in a soft tone, "and I'd hope we can keep it that way."

"Don't worry Sakura," Shepard spoke again, "We can keep it under our hats."

Shepard noticed that the conversation seem to do the trick as the girl relaxed a bit while they worked their way through the rest of the station that was attached to the Reaper. As it turned out, there wasn't much in the way of need for a medic. All they found was a lot of blood, but no bodies or remains. Then there were the husks which started showing up and attacking them, scaring the hell out of Sakura. _This is what Naruto faced down alone_ she thought while using her enhanced strength to cause the walkway to shake and knock the zombie like things down. She really had to resist using her full chakra enhanced strength to smash the walkway lest they all fall to their doom much less just the husks.

Moving forward, they were stopped by sudden gunshots ahead of them.

"Sniper!" cried Garrus. "I couldn't see who took the shot."

"Joker, did anyone sneak off the ship?" Shepard called over to the Normandy thinking that someone who liked orange was on board that wasn't allowed off the ship.

"Nope, all the others are in their places," Was the answer she got from the helmsman.

"Alright move forward and keep your eyes open," the commander told her group as they walked into the next area.

* * *

Looking at the "dragon teeth" and being given a quick explanation as to how they drained an organic body of all that made it organic and turned it into one of those husk-zombie things, Haruno Sakura officially decided that this was worse than any lab that Orochimaru and Kabuto ever cooked up. It also didn't help that they had to fight off another group of those husks and then only to discover that they were now trapped inside the Reaper as it raised a kinetic barrier preventing them from escaping or anyone from helping.

"What's the plan Shepard?" Garrus asked as the group tried to weigh their options.

"It would be risky to move forward and destroy the Mass Drive Core on this Reaper," Thane added. "We would have a limited time to escape before the pressure of the dwarf crushes us."

"Joker, can you get us out of here should we blow the core?" Shepard signaled to the ship.

"Get those barriers down and I should get you out of there," Was the reply she got.

"There we have it, we grab the IFF, blow the core and haul tail out of here," The commander told her group.

"Plus, I've got a backup plan just in case," Sakura said, fingering the side where there was a three pronged blade placed on her armor.

"Do I want to know?" Shepard asked her medic.

"Not right now," was the reply with a smile.

"Fine, then let's go and get this over with."

The team moved forward and as they entered another area of the Reaper, there were more gunshots and this time the shots actually saved them, Shepard specifically, from Husks that approached from behind.

Looking toward the course of the shots, the group got a collective shock at what they saw. In front of them on a high spot was a Geth. This Geth holding a sniper rifle along with having a giant hole in its chest and side. It also had a chunk of N7 armor on it's chest that looked like Shepard's old armor.

The Geth in question stood up and looked directly at the Normandy team before addressing them

"Shepard Commander."

* * *

Author's note: Not much to say about this chapter as there were only a few changes from its original form. The big change was shifting around Sakura's explanation of how she suppressed the Kyuubi's chakra and I left it vague on purpose. Those familiar with the Naruto world should be able to connect the dots but for those that are not then wait as it will be explained eventually. It was more a case of it not feeling right where it was in the chapter and me moving it to a better spot.

I also cut out the bit of Naruto losing part of his memory afterwards because it conflicts a bit with the idea as well as puts me into a hole here that I don't necessarily want to be in as of yet. It's not something that will be dropped but it's more that it doesn't fit right now.

So, why did I bring back Kuril? Well, mostly because I needed someone known in the Mass Effect universe that had an axe to grind with the Normandy crew but that I could also kill off without it impacting things too much. Kuril fit the bill and did the job.

Oh, to the review who asked – check my profile as I answered your question about the pairing there but to put it simply – I still not going to announce it (if there is one) for a little bit. Probably another chapter or so is when it will be "known" to all.

and yes, a certain Geth has finally shown his head so hopefully people will stop complaining and bugging me about his appearance.

That should be it for now as we're heading into the home stretch for the story.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	20. Chapter 20

Naruto Effect

Chapter 20

* * *

"Did that Geth just speak?" was the question from Garrus to the still surprised group. They had yet to recover from the idea that a Geth had saved them much less spoke to them.

"It addressed Taichou," Sakura stated. "It called her 'Shepard-Commander' and then it left."

"Intriguing, I've not heard a Geth speak before or even knew that they could." was the response from Thane. He was honestly impressed in the young girls hearing as well since he could barely hear the Geth.

"We'll talk about it later, right now we need to keep moving and get out of here," the commander stated as she led the group further into the wreckage of the Reaper.

Moving forward, Sakura got her first taste of the variations that were the Husks as she faced down a pair of the monstrous Scion's. Recalling her studies, she knew that these walking beam weapons were three husks fused together around a single weapon that stuck out its one side. She also recalled that its weak point was the exposed head on the left hand side along with the fact it was very slow moving. _Something even a Genin could handle_ she thought to herself as she threw a Kunai with an explosive tag at said weak point causing an explosion to take the massive creature down.

"Good job Sakura," Garrus shouted as they continued fighting and pushing through the floods of Husks that seemed to keep coming.

After moving forward the group could sense they were finally near the core of the massive Reaper. Going through one door, they found a box that contained the object they were after – the Reaper's IFF.

"Doesn't it seem odd to just find it sitting here?" Garrus asked in his usual suspicious voice.

"It does, but we've got it now so let's blow the core and get out of here," Shepard stated as she walked forward to open the door to the engine room only to find a kinetic barrier blocking their way along with the Geth they encountered before at the controls to the core.

It turned and looked at the team before hitting some controls as husks began to swarm it. The field fell and as the Geth turned around it was struck by one of the husks and fell to the floor.

"Garrus, Thane give some covering fire and hold off the zombies," Shepard started barking out as they went into the room. "Sakura, watch my back as I blow the core," she finished telling the medic-nin.

"What about the Geth?" Garrus asked.

"We'll take it with us," the commander replied as she aimed and started to fire her gun into the core.

"I don't think Tali-san would like that if what Naruto told me is true," Sakura noted, recalling Naruto telling her about Tali and her people and their connection with the Geth.

"She'll get over it," came from the commander as the core finally blew up and they could get out of the Reaper.

Running as fast as they could while carrying the fallen Geth, they raced to the meeting spot with the Normandy as they were still being chased by a large number of Husks. As the Normandy pulled up the airlock door opened and Naruto jumped out and shouted a very familiar command.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and at least fifty clones appeared and blocked the way of the incoming husks as the team raced to board the ship. Tossing the Geth's body through the low gravity into the ship Garrus and Thane jumped into the ship.

"Any reason why you're disobeying orders, not that I'm complaining?" The commander asked Naruto in a neutral tone while watching the clones hold back as she motioned to Sakura to jump onto the ship.

"Miranda thought it would be a good idea as your orders did say I'm allowed out in emergency situations, like this," he replied with his usual smile as he called forth another wave of clones.

"Good answer. Now let's get going," she replied as the pair jumped on board the Normandy and the ship flew away before the Reaper completely collapsed into the brown dwarf.

* * *

In the briefing room of the Normandy, Shepard and Miranda along with Ashley were going over the findings of the mission on the Reaper along with their unusual find of a complete and intact Geth.

"Cerberus will pay a high bounty for a Geth that's intact," Miranda told the commander, obviously intent of which topic to start the debriefing on.

"For once I side with Officer Lawson skipper," Ashley added, surprising the pair by siding with the Cerberus officer. "Besides, Tali won't be very happy with a Geth on board and neither am I."

"I understand but at the same time I am curious as to why it was on the Reaper much less go out of its way to help us," Shepard stated while looking down at the table in the briefing room where a holographic representation of the Geth was being displayed. "Where is it now?"

"Being held in a kinetic field down in the AI core under guard," Came the answer from Miranda. "I then take it we'll be holding on to this?" she stated pointing at the display.

"It's too valuable to give up and besides, we have one advantage," Shepard started with a smile. "We've got the Gethslayer with us and I doubt one little Geth will be much of a threat to him".

"If you say so Commander," Ashley answered dryly. "What about that piece of equipment you recovered?"

"EDI, have you checked out of the Reaper IFF yet?" the commander addressed to the shipboard artificial intelligence.

"I have and it will take some time to properly analyze and integrate the device. I have however managed to trace the coordinates that the IFF leads to when travelling through the Omega Relay."

"Let's see it EDI" ordered the commander as the display in the room activated as showed a map of the galaxy and a line appeared showing the path and where it lead.

"That's impossible," declared Miranda, "No ship has ever been able to travel to much less survive at the center of the galaxy."

"Edi, are you positive about this data?" The commander asked towards the ship AI

"I am Commander; this is the destination through the Omega Relay."

"That definitely explains why the Collector's are impossible to find." Williams chimed in.

"But now that we know and we have the IFF we can follow them" Miranda added.

"EDI, take your time and don't cut any corners, I don't want to take any chances with anything coming from a Reaper."

"Acknowledged Shepard," replied EDI in its usual monotone.

Turning back to Miranda, Shepard decided to address something, "By the Way Miranda, good thinking on sending Naruto out to help us out there."

"Thank you Shepard, I thought it was the best plan despite our current issues," the Cerberus officer replied, surprised at the compliment.

"What she's not saying," Ashley cut in almost laughing, "is that Naruto was bouncing off the walls in his quarters as soon as he heard you were stuck behind that field so she figured it's better to let him go rather than take the chance of him tearing the ship apart trying to get off to help you."

"Why am I not surprised…" the red head stated in a half chuckle. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Yes, as per your request we managed to get Naruto to reluctantly be looked at by both Doctor Chakwas and Mordin. They both report some interesting findings they wish to discuss with you. "

This caught the commander by surprise as Miranda was about to pass along the information that was discovered during Naruto's 'check-up.' While she knew that Lawson was going to file a report on their activities with their benefactor.

* * *

Sitting in his quarters again, Naruto was doing the one thing he was able to do while under his 'punishment,' meditate and continue to try and improve his chakra control. It also gave him a chance to reflect on the check-up he recently got in the medical bay of the ship. He may be slow on picking up things but Naruto knew he wasn't stupid. He had guessed that something was amiss when Mordin sat in on the examination and actually participated in it. The professor rarely took part in any medical related activities surrounding him unless it was to check his chakra levels in order to help further adapt his armor. The next clue came in when the pair of doctors focused on his head and did numerous scans on it. That alone told him one thing – they knew of the side effects that he suffers from using too much of the kyuubi's powers. He figured that someone must have guessed it when he forgot, and still can't fully recall meeting her despite being told he was on a mission with her, Kasumi Goto.

Of course, there was the other possibility that someone had told them. Could Sakura-Chan have known? Impossible, she would have said something to him much less have told Tsunade. _Maybe I should tell her_ he thought as the sound of the door opening ended his thoughts as Jack entered the room and stared at him. She had become used to Naruto and the others weird tricks but this one took the cake for her seeing as he was standing at a ninety degree angle along the wall.

"Jack-Chan, what brings you by?" he asked in his normal happy voice.

"Just wanted to see how the other side lived," she replied while still looking uneasy. She really didn't like being up here, with people but she had something to say. "Look, I'm not used to people helping me. I'm especially not used to people coming back for me when I'm in trouble but you did. You risked a lot and got in trouble but you still came after me."

With a quick jump he landed in the floor of the room on front of her. "Of course I'd come after you, you are my friend and one of my precious people after-all," he said as if that was all that was needed to explain his actions.

"That's it? You mean you won't want anything from me after this? No demands or anything?" she asked wondering if she'll get the real reason he helped her out when she was captured for that short time.

"Friend's help friend's, nothing more Jack-Chan," he said with a smile but then noticed Jack wasn't looking too pleased as at his answer.

"Ok, first up: no more Jack-Chan crap. Just call me Jack. Second, I hate owing people debts and I owe you one," she said while walking closer and jabbing her finger in his chest. "Finally, I ain't going to get all mushy or hug you or declare you my brother or anything," She finished and turned to leave the room but before reaching the door, she stopped and began to speak again.

"I'll be there when the time comes. Whoever this Sasuke guy is, whoever this Kabuto is, I'll be there and take them out so you don't have to have their blood on your hands. That's how I'll repay my debt to you," she finished as she walked to the door and just as she got there it opened as Shepard walked in and surprised Jack as much as Shepard was surprised.

"Yo Shepard," was all the bald woman said as she walked past the commander.

Shaking her head the commander turned to Naruto as the door to the Shinobi quarters closed "What was that about?"

"I think that was her way of saying 'thank you'," he answered, "is there something you need Nee-Chan?"

"Yes, I want you with me when I go talk to the Geth."

* * *

The Ai core was a very small room attached to the Med-bay on the Normandy. Inside were big box like things that Naruto could only guess were the computers that made up EDI. It always marveled him the level of technology that the people beyond his world used and yet they still had the same problems that his people did. Looking forward , he spotted where the Geth was being stored as it laid on a platform like table at the end of the room behind one of those energy fields.

"Edi, is everything secure?" the commander then asked towards the shipboard artificial intelligence.

"Yes commander, I have set up numerous firewalls and the kinetic field is active."

Taking a breath Shepard looked at Naruto who gave her a short nod and then gave out the command, "Ok, let's reactivate the Geth."

A quick flash of energy could be seen on the Geth as it started to slowly move. It then sat up and turned to see the Commander and Naruto before standing and walking towards the pair and stopping just before the field.

Looking right at them the Geth then spoke. "Shepard-commander," before turning and looking at Naruto, the small flaps around its single white eye moving slightly. "Naruto-Gethslayer."

"You can talk?" Naruto blurted out after being addressed recalling that all the Geth he's encountered to date barely did more than a growl like sound towards him.

"This platform has been given the ability to communicate as a means by which to deal with other organic species it may encounter," was the reply from the humanoid machine.

"Why did you help us?" Shepard asked.

"Because your goals and our goals are the same and thus it was only logical to assist you in your goal."

Waving his hands, Naruto began to shake his head. "Whoa whoa, let's back up a bit. Why do you have a piece of Taichou's armor and why are you sporting a hole in your side."

"This platform was damaged on Eden Prime by the humanoid units there as it attempted to contact Shepard-commander, the armor was there and used in an attempt to make repairs."

"Why me?" Shepard asked, finally able to get the question in she wanted to ask.

"You are the one that destroyed the old machine. This platform was then created and dispatched to encounter the organic being who accomplished this. Unlike other Geth, this platform has 1183 programs installed to accomplished the task," was how the Geth answered.

"And what, you used that piece of armor to fix yourself?" Shepard asked pointing at the N7 armor that adorned the chest area of the Geth.

"Correct, this platform required repairs and used whatever materials it could find. This piece of armor met that need."

"So, now that's you've found Taichou, what do you intend to do?" Naruto asked, ready to react before ordered if he didn't like the answer. _I won't even give you the chance to hurt Nee-Chan one-eye._

"Taichou – Japanese for Captain or commander. This platform is to Assist and observe as required. The Geth and Shepard-commander share the same goal."

"Wait, I thought the Geth worked with the Reapers," Shepard asked.

"The heretics see the old machines as something more. The Geth do not and see the old machines as a threat as well as your organics."

"I get it," Naruto started. "You're not the same as the others, like the ones who attacked my world." Naruto jumped in, realizing that there were different Geth like there were different Shinobi.

"Correct. The Heretics are to flee on sight of Naruto-Gethslayer after they failed to contain and control the planet Shin303 along with those of the Blue Suns and Eclipse organizations," The Geth in front informed, making Naruto smile a bit at the idea that like his father he now also has the honor of being deemed "flee on sight" by an enemy. _Though my dad only had one nation and I get two mercenary groups and an entire splinter race. Ha! I am Awesome! _

"Ok, I buy you want to help us," Shepard started. "EDI, lower the shield."

As the shield lowered the Geth looked around the room before looking at the two in front of it again.

"So, what should we call you?" Shepard asked.

"Geth."

"Don't you have a name or designation?" Naruto asked.

"We are Geth. We are all Geth."

"Might I suggest 'Legion – for we are many' in reference to the number of programs that are within the Unit." came in the voice of EDI.

"Christian bible, Mark 5:9 of the new testament. That is acceptable. This platform accepts the designation of Legion," answered the newly named Legion.

Extending her hand towards the Geth. Shepard then stated, "Welcome to the team Legion." before the Geth accepted and shook it before turning it's head to look at Naruto.

"If Taichou is fine with it then so am I," Naruto said. "Good to have you here Cyclops," he finished as he slapped the Geth's shoulder.

* * *

Despite the majority of the crew being wary of their newest member, Legion did have some freedom in moving about the ship. However, most of this freedom just meant being able to leave the AI core room and head into the mess hall area to observe and interact with the various crew members. After a few days of quiet introductions Legion began to observe more and more interactions between the various members. Right now, the Geth in question was observing as Sakura was giving a very emotional response to the crew member Kasumi Goto over some statement regarding Naruto.

The context of the discussion revolved around the woman named Kasumi attempting to gain access to the Shinobi quarters and using what is classified as 'flirtatious' techniques in order to gain access. This ultimately failed as the other female, Sakura-Shinobi, intervened and demanded that the first female 'keep her damn paws off Naruto' which lead to their current situation.

Of course Legion seemed to inherit the same knowledge of women that Naruto had when he decided to interject in the conversation.

"Perhaps Sakura-Shinobi is in need of some reprogramming."

As Shepard exited the elevator to see Legion about a mission request, she barely managed to get out before witnessing Legion flying into the nearby wall. Turning to look into the mess area, she saw Sakura turn away and walk back in a huff before looking back down at Legion.

"I take it you said the wrong thing to her?"

"Shepard-Commander. That human female is just simply impossible to reprogram."

"Right, anyway – went over your mission request and I have a few questions about it so let's go and discuss it," The commander said to the downed Geth.

Getting up, Legion followed the Commander as they cut through the med bay to the AI core where they could talk.

"Ok, I want to just go over that you are positive on the location of this base for these 'heretics'," the commander asked Legion.

"Correct. The co-ordinates I provided are the exact location of the heretic base. Should Shepard-Commander choose to go there then she would be able in assisting in stopping the heretics."

Watching the Geth in front of her for a second, she thought again about what it had asked of her, "Alright, that's all I needed to hear Legion," as she nodded at the Geth and turned to leave the room.

* * *

Heading to elevator and then up to the Command deck, Shepard began to come up with possible plans and squad members for this mission of Legion's. Of course the obvious choice was Naruto as not only would his skills be perfect against the Geth but the fact that the heretics had "flee on sight" programmed into them would mean the mission would be too easy. _But I can't use him, not for a while. Not until Miranda calms down and I find out what she's up to and why she's reporting directly to the Illusive Man about Naruto's activities. _Despite the punishment put on the Shinobi, Miranda Lawson still wanted harsher restraints put on the entire team from Shin303. _Maybe Jack is right, maybe she is pissed because they were trained to think and not to just accept orders. _

Reaching the doors, she walked towards the galaxy map and just as she began to put in the co-ordinates when she got a sudden message from EDI.

"Commander, we have just completed installing the Reaper IFF and have begun to run tests. It would be inadvisable to use the ship while these tests are taking place."

"That makes sense, best to play it safe especially when it comes to Reaper Technology," Shepard replied. "Tell Miranda to have the team meet in the shuttle but Naruto is still off mission and is to stay aboard the ship."

"Acknowledged Commander," replied the AI and the commander turned and walked towards the elevator to head to the shuttle bay.

* * *

"This sucks, I should be with everyone and not stuck here."

"Hey, stop complaining," Joker said from his seat at the helm of the ship to Naruto. "At least you're not stuck down there and can talk to someone."

After their departure, Joker had asked that Naruto come up and talk to him while the testing on the Reaper IFF continued.

"Besides, as long as a certain AI doesn't tattle on you then the commander won't get angry that you were out and about when you were supposed to be 'grounded'," Joker commented noting that they were all disobeying orders.

"Actually Mister Moreau, it is only logical for Naruto to be in command while the commander away. It makes sense for him to be here where he can react quickly to any problem that could stem up instead of requiring to be briefed via second hand knowledge," the AI noted and gained odd looks from both the Shinobi and the helmsman.

"Plus I enjoy Naruto's company and conversation," was quickly added.

"Thank you Edi-san," Naruto said with a playful smile.

"Kiss ass," Joker said in an ironically joking manner. "So, how long do you think until your girl tries to kill Kelly again?" he asked changing the subject, "though these days I guess Kasumi is also on that list. How the heck do you do it?"

"Doubt it will happen, Sakura-chan and Kelly-chan seem to have come to an understanding…" Naruto trailed off as he looked over to where Kelly was usually posted. Recently she seemed to have grown distant and he hoped he didn't cause her to hate him or anything. He truly saw the woman as a friend and hoped this wasn't another situation like what happened with Hinata.

"As for Kasumi I'm not really sure what to make…" and Naruto trailed off as he watched the helmsman tapping at the buttons then noticed lots of red lights. Red lights usually mean bad as Naruto had learned from being on this ship.

"EDI, there is nothing wrong. You're just picking up static," Joker stated.

"That is not static or background radiation. The IFF is broadcasting our location," came from EDI.

"Ya, but who would be after our location?" Joker asks as suddenly a giant Collector ship appeared over them and the various systems within the Normandy began to go down.

"EDI! Get us out of here!" Joker shouted.

"We cannot, our systems have been compromised. Propulsion, Shields, weapons, internal security are all offline," The Ai began to list, "and we are now being boarded."

"This isn't good…" Naruto groaned, trying to figure out what he should do right now.

"No shit, we are fucked," Joker said.

"There is a solution but it would require you to head down to the AI core Jeff," Edi told joker, addressing him by his first name for the first time.

"Alright, get on my back Joker, I'll carry you down there quickly," Naruto said and he crouched down for Joker to climb on his back.

"Oh man, I hate this," Joker said as he slowly got up and as best he could got on Naruto's back. "Just don't drop me, fragile bones and all."

"Don't worry," came from Naruto. "Ok EDI-san, lead the way," as he saw lights on the floor come on to guide him towards the AI core.

They moved as quickly as they could, which was fast for Joker but slow for Naruto as the Shinobi was trying to be as careful as possible while the ship was rocking and making all sorts of alarms and other noises around them. As they got near the door they noticed the elevator door open and Naruto heard chirping birds before an electrical blast came out electrocuting the Cerberus personnel who had planned to shoot whatever was in there.

Naruto then stopped and lowered Joker down, "Sorry Joker, you're going to have to walk from here."

"What? Why?" Joker asked, "You know what that was?"

"Not what, who.." Naruto said quietly, "Go now! I'll hold him off so you can save the ship."

"Fuck, shit!" Joker said before hobbling off quickly through the door to the lab that would take him down to the AI core.

Looking back at the elevator, Naruto knew there were only two people that used an attack like that and he knew Kakashi was nowhere near here.

It meant it could be only one other person.

He then saw as a Collector exit the elevator but this one was different. Unlike the others he had encountered, this one didn't have the usual flat head but a more human-like round head. Instead of the usual three eyes on each side this one had only two and instead of being yellow they were red. Feeling chakra race to his eyes he knew that Itachi's gift was kicking in and knew that these red eyes were those of the Sharingan. Another difference was that this Collector carried a sword on it's back.

_But it couldn't be. Not him._

"Sasuke?" Naruto weakly let out.

Looking at him silently at first, the Collector before him reached and drew it's sword before speaking.

"Uzumaki Naruto, last of the Senju, today I avenge the Uchiha clan once and for all," Sasuke replied before rushing forward and shouting, "DIE!"

* * *

Author's Notes: Not much to say this time around. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter so I lie and try to cover up if people review saying how crappy or disappointed they are in it. It was originally part of the last chapter but due to length I split it into two and this one had a bit more filler to help pad it out. I kinda switched things up with Legion a bit just for the sake of the story and nothing more.

The bit at the end with Sasuke's line is not a goof or a typo or anything and will be explained in the next chapter so please, no reviews saying "Naruto is not a Senju!". It will be explained soon enough.

Oh well, hopefully next chapter will be an improvement. The end is in sight - the magic number is now 6.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	21. Chapter 21

Naruto Effect

Chapter 21

* * *

Away from the attack on the Normandy, the cramped shuttle carrying Shepard and her team were just about to approach the space station that was the main Geth base according to Legion.

"You're sure they won't see us if they look out a window?" Ashley Williams asked Legion as they approached the base.

"The Geth do not require any aesthetics such as windows that normal organics have. As long as our stealth systems are fully active we should be completely unnoticed by the Geth," came the reply from their robotic companion.

"And we have our Shinobi and resident master thief to thank for adapting a stealth system for use with this shuttle," Shepard said with a smile as she turned back to look at Tenten and Kasumi. The shuttle slowed as it got closer to the massive yet oddly shaped stronghold. Unlike the regular star bases this one showed none of the usual areas where a spaceship docked, command areas and the like would be placed. The base itself was essentially shaped like a diamond except instead of it being a solid shape it had points that came out of the center that aimed upwards and downwards to give that diamond shape.

Making light contact with the base as the shuttle came to a stop, the assembled group prepared to board the station as Shepard gave her orders.

"Kasumi will join me and Legion on the base," and after getting nods from the pair of Shinobi she turned to Miranda Lawson. "Miranda: keep trying to contact the Normandy. I'm not happy that they've been this quiet for so long."

"Yes commander. It's most likely just related to the tests on the Reaper IFF," the Cerberus operative replied with her thinking of the lack of communication from their ship.

"You're probably right and Joker knows better too," the commander answered as she headed to the back to the shuttle to where they would enter the base.

Near the back of the shuttle, Tali was mulling over something before finally mustering up the courage and walking over to where Sakura was seated.

"Sakura, I was wondering something"

"Oh, what's up Tali-san?"

"umm..well, you see. Can we sorta have a talk, just you and me, well, in private when we get back to the ship?" Tali asked nervously, hoping the other girl wouldn't react wrong to what she was going to tell her since it did concern Naruto.

"Sure Tali-san, is it medical related or something?" Sakura asked, slightly curious and trying to figure out why her friend was being nervous.

"Not really but more of a private matter." Tali responded.

"Um…ok, we can talk when we get back." Sakura answered with a smile towards the Quarian, "I'm glad you can talk to me" trying to reassure Tali.

"So am I" was all Tali could answer to knowing that what she was going to tell the pink haired medic would probably lead to bad things for all involved. Tali didn't want to hurt anyone but in this case Tali figured it was best to follow her heart and tell Sakura the truth.

She was in love with Naruto and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

* * *

Deflecting the blade quickly with his hidden Kunai, Naruto managed to stop Sasuke's quick and initial attack as he pushed the would be avenger to the side and using the Uchiha's momentum, knocked him to the ground as he moved across and closer to the elevator to give him some space in the cramped CIC area. _This is a bad place for a fight especially between me and him, I gotta get him talking. _

"I'm not related to Tsunade your dumbass," Naruto shouted at Sasuke _well, not directly…_ he added to himself after reading the scrolls he got about the connection between the Senju and the Uzumaki clans. "Why you believe Madara after all this time I have no clue. You should know better than that cause that guy was a loon and a liar."

Sasuke wasn't listening to Naruto's denials as he knew the truth. He had come to the conclusion on Naruto's bloodline years ago after Madara told him the tale of the Senju leader and the woman he took, an Uzumaki. Add to that the fact that there was no other Namakaze's ever in the village along with the Fifth's refusal to stop the idiot from calling her "Grandmother" it all added up as far as Sasuke was concerned. The years in prison with just his own thoughts only gave him more than enough time to put the pieces in place in his mind.

Naruto was indeed Tsunade's biological grandson, the product of the woman's own bastard child with that pervert fool Jiraiya. Said child became known to the world as Namakze Minatio, the forth hokage and he took with another Uzumaki which meant Naruto was truly the last of the Senju and that of the Uzumaki as well. No matter how Naruto and others try to deny it the proof was right in front of Sasuke and he was damn sure that he properly avenges his clan by removing the Senju and Uzumaki from the world – the cries of the all betrayed Uchiha call for it after all.

Getting back to his feet Sasuke recovered his sword before looking at Naruto again, "I hear their voices, they cry out for vengeance against you and your clan, and I will avenge the Uchiha clan against the Senju!" before he rushed at Naruto again.

This time Sasuke, using a bit of Chakra in his blade to give it an electrical charge, met Naruto's block and knocked him back causing the Uzumaki to wince after the slight shock.

"I thought you said you wanted to make up for what you did," Naruto said to him with a serious look in his eye. "You gave your word to not only me but to Sakura-Chan as well. Hurting Anko, Ino and Shikamaru and also killing Choji isn't keeping your word."

"They were all weak, pure and simple. I now have seen the true strength of this world and I will be a part of it and with it, I will destroy Konoha, starting here with you," Sasuke finished as he once again charged at Naruto. This time Naruto was able to deflect Sasuke's attack and also managed to grab a hold of Sasuke's arm and disarming him and throwing his sword into one of the many consoles. Moving quickly, Naruto then spun around and tried to strike Sasuke with his Kunai but it was blocked and knocked away, disarming Naruto.

Now without weapons, the pair didn't stop to speak and fell into a Taijutsu match trading punches and blocks along with kicks in the middle of the CIC. Feeling it was a stalemate, Naruto knew he would have to end this soon, especially if Sasuke's Sharingan were truly restored and was allowing him to see Naruto's moves ahead of time. Flipping over Sasuke, Naruto then turned and used a small Fuuton jutsu to give a bit of a wind blast knocking Sasuke closer to the elevator door. _I'm lucky he's a few years out of shape or else I would have been in trouble _Naruto thought to himself at the end of the exchange.

What Naruto didn't understand was that Sasuke started chuckling a bit as he got up again.

"You're still a moron," he started. "You don't get it and never will and will never understand the true path of an avenger," as he then quickly ran through some hand seals that Naruto didn't recognize. Naruto only managed to duck at the last second as Sasuke used whatever Jutsu he created and sent out a bunch of electrical bolts from his hands, barely missing Naruto.

"When I get through with you, I will go back and kill them all," Sasuke growled. "Then I shall take a proper woman and rebuild my clan. Sakura perhaps? Or maybe that little friend of yours, the one you added to you clan?" he ended with an evil laugh.

"You fucker, you won't hurt Sakura-Chan or Tali-nee-Chan!" Naruto responded as he lost his temper and began to surge with some of the Kyuubi's power. However, his anger also made him unaware of his surroundings and especially the second person who entered the area from behind him as Naruto barely heard the hissing of a snake before feeling a pain in his neck and getting very dizzy all of the sudden.

"Tut tut Sasuke-kun, Harbinger-sama was quite clear in his request that Naruto-kun not be killed at this time," came the voice of Kabuto. With his vision blurring, Naruto could see that unlike Sasuke who looked like one of these Collector's, Kabuto still looked the same as he last saw him, the long robe covering his body with the snake head and body showing from the back. _Could have sworn that Hinata cut that snake's head off…_

As Naruto tried to stand back up, despite the poison in his veins, Sasuke grabbed his Kunai and stabbed each of Naruto's hands pinning him face down on the floor of the deck, much similar to how Pein had disabled him during the attack of the village all those years ago.

"You should mind your own affairs Kabuto," Sasuke spoke as he retrieved his sword. "I will do whatever it takes to avenge my family, even killing you if you get in my way again."

Walking towards Naruto, he could see that whatever poison Kabuto used was doing its job as Naruto had passed out and now was completely defenseless.

"Did you stop that other one that ran through the door?"

"Sadly he had already left the area by the time I entered the lab. I can happily say that all the research has been destroyed so at least Harbinger-sama will be pleased with that."

"Whatever," Sasuke said dismissingly as he walked towards Naruto, sword in hand ready to end the Uzumaki's life.

"Get the hell away from him!" came the shout of a female followed but some gunshots as Kelly Chambers ran out of the Armory with an assault rifle and began firing at the pair. When Sasuke looked at her, his adjusted his repaired eyes and for an instant the hair turned pink and the eyes turned green.

The next thing Kelly felt was a stabbing sensation in her stomach as she saw Sasuke appear in front of her, as she locked eyes with his red, swirling eyes.

"You are not Sakura," was all that he said as he removed his blade from her stomach and Kelly fell to the ground as alarms started to sound on the ship.

"Nar…uto," was the only thing Kelly could say as she lay on the floor of the CIC bleeding out. _It's always her, why her. Why can't anyone see ME for once…_

"It seems our time is up Sasuke-kun," Kabuto spoke as the Uchiha left the room before walking towards Kelly.

The last thing Kelly saw was Kabuto leaning over her and forming a smile, "oh my, you're still alive despite the blood loss. Maybe I should do something to help you?" and then blackness took her as she saw the silver haired man smiling at her.

* * *

Cutting through the hull undetected wasn't an easy task but Legion managed to get the task done as Shepard and the two Shinobi jumped down followed by the Geth. The one thing that was noticed by Shepard was not the lack of breathable air but the low gravity.

"Legion, why the low gravity?" she asked towards the Geth.

"Shepard-commander as you know the Geth do not require the same needs as humans like you do," Was the explanation she got.

"I see," the commander said in response.

The team moved forward as Legion guided them through the station until Tenten noticed something on the floor.

"Legion, what's this green light I see on the ground?" Kasumi asked as she walked down the corridor.

"Those are Geth data lines. It would be advisable not to cross them as breaking the lines would alert the Geth at the hubs."

"Ok, don't cross the green lines unless we have to you two," Shepard then commanded and proceeded to keep walking carefully making sure she didn't cross the line. After quickly encountering their first hub and a group of Geth, they stopped as Legion explained that the hubs could be a good source of salvage along with other information. It was during this that Legion appeared, as much as the Geth can appear that is, to be surprised.

"Shepard-Commander! There is a possible alternative to this mission."

"How so Legion?" The commander asked while the pair of younger Shinobi just listened on.

"Before, we saw only destruction of the base and these heretics as the only solution. Now we have discovered that we can reconfigure the virus that they were planning to use against us on them and reprogram them to once again join us," Legion fully detailed.

"So that means you'll all be on the same side again and stop attacking people?" Tenten asked thinking she understood what she was just told.

"Correct. This platform has yet to complete the possibility of such action but we felt that Shepard-Commander should be informed before proceeding forward and making a final decision."

"Why me? They're your people right?" Shepard asked confused at what Legion had said to her.

"We are divided and cannot form a consensus. Half wish to destroy the heretics while the other half wish to convert the heretics back to our side. Shepard-Commander has the experience with the Geth to allow a proper decision on the issue."

"Miranda, did you copy that?" Shepard said, tapping her communicator when she didn't get a response other than static, "Miranda, respond."

"Communications seem to be jammed Shepard," Kasumi noted checking her own equipment.

"Guess we're on our own then, let's keep going," Shepard ordered as Legion pointed in the direction they would need to go.

The rest of the mission went forward as the group moved their way through the base and eliminated Geth and their hubs as need be. It was during this time they Shepard discovered how good Legion's hacking ability was as the Geth was able to turn the rocket sentry's onto their side for a time and allowed the team to save some ammunition as they used the bases defenses to fight off its inhabitants. They also discovered that it was within this base where these Geth manufactured and deployed their numerous cruisers and drop ships that were used to ferry the Geth around.

Moving deeper into the base they entered a room where there appeared to be a large console overlooking what looked like a supply area.

"Shepard-commander, this is where we can access the Geth data files. We have still yet to meet a consensus. What would you advise for us to do?" Legion asked the commander.

"Shepard, Tali wouldn't be too happy if you let them take control of these Geth and grow into a bigger force," Kasumi noted.

Taking a few moments to weigh the options, Shepard thought this would be a perfect situation for Naruto since he had a knack for dealing with things like this.

"Legion, use the altered virus and reprogram them," The commander told the Geth with them.

"Shepard, I'm not sure if this is the right idea, adding to their numbers could be dangerous," Kasumi cautioned.

"I know but I'm not the one to judge them for being them, they deserve a chance and if Legion says they will stop attacking places like Eden Prime and Naruto's world then I'll give them that chance," the commander told Kasumi before turning back to Legion, "Do it."

"The upload will take two minutes, we must hold this position as the heretics will try and stop it," Legion noted. "There are some platforms that can be hacked to assist in our defense for a limited time."

"Kasumi, head to the left and cover that walkway," Shepard pointed to the small walkway to the left. "Legion, you handle the right and I'll co-ordinate with you which platforms to use and when," the commander finished as she walked back and prepared to cover from the center while Legion was on the right side to cover the other walkway.

* * *

The two minutes went by very slowly as the team fought off wave and wave of Geth troops before the re-programmed virus finished uploading. Of course things didn't get any easier for the team.

"Shepard-commander, the station will now release an EMP burst in three minutes to rewrite the programming of the heretics. The burst will cause damaged to unshielded organic tissue and the station is unshielded," Legion announced.

"Would have been nice to know beforehand," Kasumi added.

"Too late now, let's get out of here before the timer runs out," Shepard shouted as the team rushed and fought their way past the last remaining Heretic Geth in their path. After downing the Geth Prime that stood in their way, the teams' communicators began to work again.

"..Shepard? Shepard, can you hear me, respond skipper," came Ashley's voice over the channel.

"I can hear you now Ash, we need to get moving so make sure the shuttle is ready to go the moment we get on board as we've got an EMP burst happening in less than three minutes," the commander stated as she continued running to the point where they would meet the shuttle.

"Roger that but I think you should know, we've got bigger problems."

"What could be bigger than this?" asked Kasumi.

"We finally managed to hear from the Normandy..." Williams began to tell but was cut off quickly by the commander.

"Can this wait till I'm aboard?"

"Skipper, the ship was attacked," Ashley said in a quiet voice, "and it's bad…really really bad."

* * *

"So, not only did you allow the crew to be taken and some of Mordin's research to be destroyed along with unsealing the AI but you also went against the commander's orders and let Naruto out where now he is heavily injured and near death. You did a great job there Joker…" Miranda shouted at Joker in the briefing room. The shuttle had returned and met up with the damaged ship and now Joker was being debriefed by Shepard and Miranda Lawson, along with Ashley Williams.

"Hey, I know I screwed up!" Joker said in his deference, "and if Naruto wasn't up there I'd most likely be dead at the hands of that guy."

"Jeff is correct. Naruto was the only one capable of holding off the attack while Jeff got away to save the ship," EDI chimed in along with showing a playback of the security vid of Naruto's fight with the Collector identified as 'Sasuke' before an electrical discharge destroyed the camera.

"Miranda, it's a bad situation all around but at least we still have a ship to come back to," Shepard added in hoping to calm down the Cerberus officer. "Did we find out who that pool of blood on the CIC deck belonged to?" she asked to Ashley, hoping that Naruto at least managed to do some damaged to his attacker before being taken down. The sight of the CIC showed that at least it looked like he put up some sort of fight in there but seeing him like that on the floor with his hands pinned by his own blades was a very painful thing especially for the Shinobi as Sakura had a near nervous breakdown before pulling herself together and beginning to treat the fallen Shinobi.

"It belongs to Kelly Chambers as one of the attackers took her with them before they departed," EDI reported, "and I could not verify her life signs at that point."

"Why would they take her body? Didn't they kill her?" Ashley asked in general confusion about it since by all appearances the Yeoman should be dead.

"I think they would know since Naruto seem to know who those guys were," Joker added, hinting at the 'they' was meaning the Shinobi.

Taking a second to think, Shepard then began to give some orders. "Joker, get back to the cockpit and get ready to move out," before turning to Ashley and Miranda. "I'm heading down to med-bay to check up on Naruto's situation," she said as she began to walk towards the doors of the briefing room, "and then I'm going to find out exactly what we're dealing with in regards to these 'missing-nin'".

* * *

Making her way to the med-bay, Shepard managed to at least get a small smile as she entered to see Tenten and Lee along with Tali gathered inside. Sakura and Mordin both seemed to be checking the young man's vitals.

"Commander, he seems to be doing better," Mordin reported as he noticed her enter the Med-bay. "It appeared the anti-toxin that Sakura has administered seems to be doing the job on the poison."

"That's good to hear," the commander replied quietly before looking at the pink haired medic. "Any idea what they hit him with Sakura?"

Taking a breath, Sakura began to respond in a near monotone voice. "Its serpent based venom that is meant to incapacitate the victim. The serum I've given him should break it down enough for his own healing factor to take care of it. I've seen it used before so I know who did it."

Walking up to the Shinobi, Shepard reached out and moved the girls face so she could see her eyes and could see that she was near exhaustion. "He's out of danger, go rest Sakura. We'll keep an eye on things and get you if we need you."

"No! I should be here. I should have been here…I…I..I came along so he wouldn't have to fight them both, I…" before passing out in Shepards arms as Mordin had given her a sedative.

"She's very good at her work but like Naruto, doesn't know when to slow down and rest," Mordin stated.

"Hokage-sama has had to do the same with her before," Tenten commented to reassure the commander and Mordin.

"Lee, could you and Tenten take her back to your area and make sure she rests," the commander asked of the other Shinobi.

"Yosh, right away Taichou!" Lee replied with a quick salute before taking Sakura over his shoulder and leaving with Tenten following, the girl giving a quick bow before exiting.

"She's going to be pissed when she wakes up Shepard," Tali commented with a bit of a laugh in her voice.

"She'll get over it," Shepard said before they heard some stirring from the bed as Naruto began to come around.

"Uhh…where am I?" Naruto asked quietly.

"In Med-bay. You gave us all quite the scare again young man," Shepard replied from beside him. "I don't like getting back from mission and finding you here," She finished with a smile while grabbing his hand.

"You really scared us Naruto. Sakura especially," Tali noted.

"Where is Sakura-Chan?"

"We had to force her to take a nap because she wouldn't leave," Mordin chimed in.

With a small chuckle, Naruto replied, "Baa-Chan did the same the last time I was in a bad way like this," before looking right into the commander eyes. "Did Joker get away ok?"

"Yes, he got away and you guys managed to save the ship with the help of EDI," She told him before saying, "now rest, I'll tell you everything else later."

"Ok," Naruto got out before closing his eyes again.

Turning to walk out, Shepard motioned for Mordin to follow as Tali made it clear by her body language she wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm going to kill them Shepard," Tali started, "No one hurts the one I love and get away with it."

"I think you and everyone else is in agreement with that Tali," Shepard agreed with a determined voice as she exited the room with Mordin to leave the "siblings" alone for a bit although Shepard was starting to wonder if Tali was really seeing things that way anymore.

* * *

A short time later the entire team, including all the members of Team Konoha, were assembled in the briefing room. Naruto had awoken a mere few hours after his initial talking to Shepard and was ready enough to move about and said he'd be ready for whatever they planned next. There was a tearful reunion as Shepard watched Lee grab hold and jump up and down with his friend proclaiming how Naruto had 'once again passed through the fires of adversity and showed his truth youthful power' despite Naruto's protests for the green clad man to put him down. Now they were waiting for the commander to tell them what their next move would be.

"It's time we strike back," Shepard stated. "They took our crew, they took our friends, and they hurt us. No more. We are going through the Omega relay and we are going to take back our crew and then put an end to this," she finished her speech and seeing that everyone around agreed.

"This will not be easy, and this is near crazy but as a friend has shown me – sometimes crazy works," as the group snickered, especially the members of Team konoha as it's exactly something their blonde haired friend would say and do. "Let's go and show them and by extension the reapers that the line is drawn here and that they can't do what they want anymore," She finished her speech then fingered the communication unit.

"Joker, set course for the Omega Relay," she finished.

"You got it commander," came the reply from the helmsmen. "It'll be about four hours from our current position before we get there."

Before she dismissed them, she looked at the Shinobi, "I know you four are supposed to deal with those two but after what they pulled here, I don't think you'll be alone in this."

"That's for sure Shepard," Jack jumped in." I've got something in mind for those two," as others around the table nodded in agreement.

"For once Jack and I are in agreement. Justice will be brought to this would be avenger and his companion," Samara added.

"Thanks everyone," Naruto said.

"Ok everyone, get ready and rest up. It's going to be a fun ride from here," Shepard finished and dismissed everyone.

* * *

Author's notes: Now now, don't be reading into the tea leaves and think that updates are going to be faster because this one is fast. This is just a blip as GT just said to me last night "oh, 21 is ready to go" and it caught me off guard as much as you. If she does it again in a few days for chapter 22 then things will change.

I know it's quite short but this chapter is essentially what I need it to be and does its job in my eyes. I had debated about giving Kabuto the full Collector treatment as well but opted to leave it be for the time being and just leave it as Sasuke. Truth be told, mapping out and working out the Naruto-Sasuke fight was very very tough and I still don't know if I got it right in the long run. Hopefully enough of a taste to hold everyone over until they meet again.

Which leads into Sasuke's theory about Naruto's family. That's all that it is – Sasuke's theory and how he sees things and justifies his continued battle/feud with Naruto by thinking of Naruto being directly part of the Uchiha clan's demise. Just part of his path of vengeance stuff.

And yes, Kelly's fate is unknown and I would like to keep it as such for now.

And by now I think the main pairing should be clear. If not then next chapter it will be. I'll be honest; romance isn't my thing so I know the buildup has been crappy to say the least. My only hope is that in the end it's believable. At that point I'll update the summary and put it up so please - no more Pm's about it. If you've read this far then one more chapter is a short wait.

Besides, patience is a virtue. ;)

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	22. Chapter 22

Naruto Effect

Chapter 22

* * *

After Shepard's announcement, the remaining crew of the Normandy were all off either attending to their duties or quietly preparing for what would most likely be their final battle. At least that's the feeling that Naruto got as he watched everyone that was left on the ship. He found it interesting how empty the ship actually felt now with the Cerberus crew gone but he reminded himself they would get them back.

That was when he began to walk through the various sections of the ship; he recalled the discussion he had with Lee and Tenten down in the shuttle bay where the pair had decided they would 'train' while the ship traveled to its destination. He may not be the brightest but Naruto took the hint and decided to leave the pair be since he too understood that this time chances are they wouldn't be coming back. It was very similar to the night before the final battle with Madara.

It was the night that he had wandered aimlessly through the area until Sakura grabbed hold of him and took him to her tent where the pair just lay in her bedroom holding each other. No words, nothing more. Just holding each other until they slept and awoke the next morning. Then they got Sasuke back, defeated Madara and Kabuto and ended the fourth great Shinobi war once and for all. All in all, life should have been easier since.

Now he found himself once again facing down the rogue Uchiha with the fate of many on the line. This time, Naruto knew he couldn't save his former friend and he now faces the fact that he will have to break a promise – something he's never done in order to save millions, maybe more than that.

His mind though was currently stuck on another topic and one that cut very deep for him.

As he left the briefing, Tali pulled him aside and down a corridor before handing him something. The clan patch he had given her and he could tell she wasn't happy about it.

"Sorry Naruto, I can't keep lying to myself…" she said with a hint of sadness but to him she seemed more scared. "We'll talk later but for now I have to go and take care of some things." And with that she turned and left him stunned in the hallway. That led to his aimless path and encountering various people who had said various items of advice about the upcoming battle. Only Mordin and surprisingly Jack gave him something useful, well, not really in Jack's case.

The Salarian professor gave him a long speech about inter-species relations that really flew over his head along with a speech about the Quarian people and how they usually do not get as close as Tali did to non-Quarians but that 'the sun will always rise and shine' or something like that before sending the confused Shinobi on his way. _Was I talking with Mordin or Super Thick-brows? _

Jacks' advice was less verbose but still as confusing as all she did was hand him something called a "rubber" and told him he'd probably need it tonight.

All this musing, confusion and self inflection made him realize that his walk took him right back to his quarters which in the end was fine for him. He wanted to meditate and speak to the fox anyway.

Something more was going on with his tenant and he needed to figure out what it was before he went anywhere near those Reaper things again much less dealing with an Uchiha and his Sharingan.

Entering the quarters he wasn't too surprised to see Sakura staring out the window but what did was that fact she didn't bother turning to face him.

Forgetting his own problems for the moment, despite the needs to pour out his confusion to the girl he loves in front of him, he asked the obvious question

"What's wrong Sakura-Chan? Are you nervous about the upcoming battle?"

There was a moment of silence before she turned to him with serious eyes.

"Yes, that and I also had a talk with Tali-san earlier."

"Me too," Naruto added sadly and he looked down at his hand still clutching the patch. He was so caught up in it that he missed Sakura closing the gap and coming closer to him until she reached out and took his hand.

"So, she really did give it back," Sakura started. "I didn't think she would do it so soon, but I guess she wants time to think about things after we had our discussion."

"You knew?" he felt a bit betrayed by both Tali and Sakura now. The idea that Tali would go to Sakura first and then to him really bothered him for some reason even though it shouldn't.

"I promised not to tell you yet until she's decided on the idea I came up with but I can say that it's something that could be wonderful for all of us," And then Sakura said something even more confusing. "Had it been anyone else I would have probably killed her but as I've said in the past, Tali can be very convincing. Must be a Quarian thing."

"Sakura-chan, what are you talking about…" but was cut off by the pink haired woman.

"Never mind that. Tali-san will tell you when she's ready. Right now, it's just you and me so let's just spend this moment we have with each other."

"Ok, Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied, still very confused as she led him over to where their bed rolls were and sat down while motioning him to join her.

"EDI-san, could you please give us some privacy for a while?" Sakura then asked into the air.

"Of course," came the voice of the ships AI. "Have fun."

"Privacy? What's goi…Gah!" was all Naruto could get out as Sakura had pushed him down and was now over him and pinning him down. She also had a very playful smile on her face.

"You belong to me now," was all she said before she began to kiss him.

_Always knew Sakura-chan was a pervert…._

* * *

"We're just about to arrive Commander," Joker said from the helm as the Normandy just about reached its target destination. The Collector base, at the center of the galaxy. Hearing shuffling, Shepard turned to see Naruto enter the area with his armor on where she had called him to since she figured he'd want to see this. Shepard also noticed how haggard he looked despite supposedly resting in his quarters for the last few hours.

"What happened to you?" the commander asked him, curious about his condition.

"Got lost on the road of life and helped by an angel," He replied with a coy smile.

"I see…" Shepard replied knowing she'd have to get to the bottom of this later, "we're almost there," she finished as she caught sight of Sakura walking into the area, also in her armor, with a blush on her face when she looked at Naruto. _Ah, so that's what happened. _The commander thought to herself with a small smile at the pair.

"Med-bay is ready Taichou as are the rest of Team Konoha," Sakura reported to Shepard in her usual professional manner. "Tenten and Lee are on standby down in engineering with Tali-san."

"Thank you Sakura," the commander finished as the ship entered the system.

"Wow," was all Naruto could say before Joker was forced to begin to maneuver the ship around an almost infinite amount of debris and what looked like a giant white ball. _And here I thought I'd seen everything_ Naruto thought at the sight of the 'center of the galaxy'.

"What is all this?" Shepard asked.

"Must be the wreckage of every other vessel that has tried to enter this place," Thane surmised in his usual tone.

"All this?" Sakura started, wide eyed at the amount of wreckage and junk she felt the ship make another turn to get past some of the debris, "I…I can't believe it."

The flashy lights on Joker's console began blinking and got Sakura's attention as something else must be up, other than debris.

"Commander. We've got company," Joker shouted. "Looks like some sort of defense sentries." as the monitor brought up an image of a group of three sphere like machines emerging form the debris and giving chase.

"Do what you can to deal with them Joker," Sheppard ordered to the helmsman as the ship began to take action.

Dodging the fire from the smaller sentries and also dodging the chucks of metal floating around the area, Joker maneuvered the Normandy the best he could.

"Alright EDI, when I pull around let them have it," Joker shouted in excitement as the ship rounded the sphere like machines and the Normandy fired back with its guns destroying two of them. However, the third and final one slipped through and began to use its beam weapon to cut into the ship and enter via the cargo bay.

Alarms sounded in the cockpit area as this was happening with Joker alerting the commander to the situation.

"Commander, we've got company and it looks like its trying to cut us open from inside the cargo bay."

"Alright, I'll head down…" Shepard started but was interrupted by another.

"No, stay here, let us handle it," Naruto stated as he nodded to Sakura before reaching for his comm unit. "Tenten, Lee – meet us by the cargo bay. We've got to get rid of some unwelcomed visitors," he relayed to his team as he left to head down to the cargo bay.

"You sure you guys can handle it?" Shepard asked, slightly unsure if she should let the Shinobi fight whatever the probe is alone.

"We'll be fine," Naruto said with his back to her and reaching out his arm to give a thumbs up.

* * *

Entering the room, the collected Shinobi could see the hole by which the probe could enter but no sign of the intruder itself.

"The field is holding up at least," Sakura stated, recalling her continued studies about the technology of the ship that she guessed the other three didn't understand, or in Naruto's case, didn't pay attention to.

"So where is it?" Tenten asked.

Just then the massive sphere like sentry entered via the hole and revealed what appeared to be a glass like eye before it fired a massive beam, nearly taking out the Shinobi team.

"We're going to need a bigger gun," Sakura deadpanned before looking at Tenten. "You got anything that can make that go boom Tenten?"

"Nothing that I can use here," the girl replied a tad worried. She should have been ready for this but her usual tactic of kunai with explosive tags wouldn't work on this monster.

Naruto watched the thing float around and came up with a plan to take it out in one shot. Checking the size of the cargo bay, he figured it would be big enough to handle what he hand in mind least.

"Sakura-chan, you guys keep it busy for a few, I've got a plan," he shouted towards the pink haired girl before running off to the other side of the cargo bay.

"What the hell is he doing?" Tenten asked, unsure of what her squad leader was planning.

"Knowing him – something stupid and crazy that will get us out of this," Sakura said as she used her pistol to get the attention of sentry.

Running to the other side of the bay, Naruto stopped and then removing his glove he bit into his thumb before letting out a shout of "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" and summoning a red toad almost the same size of the Sentry itself.

"Yo! Umm…Naruto, why am I here?" the toad in questioned asked before laying an eye on the sentry, "Pops said you were running with a strange crowd these days."

"Need your help with this one Gamakichi; I could use a little oil so we can take out that thing," Naruto told the toad, giving an idea what he was planning.

"You're nuts but that's why you're my pal," the toad said in response as it turned to face the sentry while Naruto jumped onto his back.

"Get down!" Sakura shouted to the others as she realized what was happening as soon as she watched Naruto jump onto the toads back.

"Katon Gamayu Endan," was the shout that was heard as Naruto and toad combined oil and flame to fire a stream of burning oil at the machine. Covering it, they watched as the thing started to spark and fly around trying to escape but the toad and summoner didn't let up until the machine sparked again and they flew back through the hole before it exploded outside.

Feeling good about their work, Naruto and Gamakichi waited as the others came out to join them.

"Knew my plan would work," Naruto said with a grin while the toad just couldn't take its eyes off of Sakura.

"Sure you did," the medic deadpanned before looking at the toad, "and stop staring at my chest you perverted toad!" she then shouted at the summon.

"I...I...I was just admiring your battle armor Sakura," Gamakichi said in his defense.

"Sure you were, you're as bad as him," Sakura said while pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

Meanwhile Tenten used this as a chance to alert the commander that the situation was now clear.

* * *

"Ok Tenten, good work. Be ready for when we get to the enemy base as it's in sight now," Shepard finished as she turned off her communicator. Looking through the cockpit she saw a giant structure not too dissimilar to what Omega looked like but only larger in scale.

"Looks like they pulled it off," Miranda commented. "I guess I should ease up on them now."

"That would be a smart thing to do, "Shepard noted, "They've saved you on more than one occasion after-all."

"Shepard, I told you. I had orders. The Illusive man is very specific and wants them as allies but as obedient allies."

"Good luck with that one cheerleader." Jack added

Before the second in command could respond, Joker jumped in. "Heads up folks, looks like they're sending out more of those sphere things," as they could see more shperes move out from the base to intercept the Normandy.

"Now we get to show them our new teeth," Joker spoke in reference to the upgraded weapons that Garrus had installed on the Normandy.

"Fry'em Joker," ordered the commander.

Just as the Normandy fired into the swarm of the Spheres, a few fired their lasers back at the Normandy. As the beams passed each other in space the Normandy moved slightly and only took a glancing blow but enough to cause some damaged while Normandy's beam cannons destroyed all the Sphere's in the swarm but in doing such, it began a chain reaction that resulted in a massive explosion that created a shockwave that also affected the Normandy as it raced by the destruction. Various systems and consoles on the Normandy began to spark as the wave hit and knocked it off course, veering into the Collector base.

"My systems are failing, we're going in Jeff," EDI reported to the helmsman.

"I can see that, everyone hang on," Joker announced as he tried to steer the ship as best he could as it hurdled towards the space station. Using all his skill, Joker managed to get the ship to level out and instead of crashing into the station it made a hard landing, skidding across the surface before coming to a stop.

* * *

It had been a short time, less than ten minutes, since the Normandy crashed onto the Collector base. Right now the team, with all the Shinobi, were all gathered in the briefing room trying to figure their next course of action.

"EDI, have you managed to scan the internal structure of the base?" Shepard asked the shipboard computer.

"I have commander," came the answer as the holographic display activated and a three dimensional display of the base, with all the routes and tunnels and access points for all to see.

"Wow," came from Tenten, amazed at the size of the base.

"We could always go in the front door guns blazing," Garrus suggested.

"That would be suicide since it would bring every Collector in that base right down on us," Miranda added. "It would be better to split the team and hit them at two points here and here," she finished as she pointed to a pair of entry points on the map. "One team can blow open the door for the other team if need be," she finished.

"Either action would result in high loss of life Shepard," Mordin chimed in.

_There's got to be another way without us getting killed_ Shepard thought to herself in frustration as the options were limited. What surprised her was how quiet Naruto and his team were as usually one of them figured out a plan or something. That was when she saw it on the map.

"Wait, what about this vent right here," She stated pointing at a small ventilation line that followed the paths they were planning on taking. "If we send someone in and they can get into their system and open all the doors for us."

"That's a tight fit and not an easy task," Ashley commented.

"You would need a tech expert too," Miranda added. "Which sadly means the Shinobi can't do it despite this being perfect for their regular skill set."

As the commander went into thought, Sakura was about ready to volunteer herself as she knew enough and figured at worst someone could talk her through whatever issues she'd encounter in the tunnel. Before she could answer however, the commander spoke up.

"Legion. You can handle the pressure of that vent as well as hack through anything they could have. You'll tackle the vent and get us in there," She said. "We'll still split into two teams and cover both sides and hope that gives Legion the time he needs to do his job."

"Who leads the second squad?" Miranda asked, "The logical choice should be me since…"

"Whoa, slow down there Cheerleader," Jack interrupted. "No way in hell am I'm following you."

"Then who? It has to be someone with experience…" Miranda added with a slight sneer.

"What about Naruto?" Tali suggested. "He's got experience in leading a team and we know he's gone against the Collector's before."

Shaking her head, Miranda clearly didn't agree with the idea of Naruto leading a squad. "Shepard, who's going to lead the second squad?"

"Naruto, take the second team and do your thing. You'll have Sakura with you while Lee and Tenten are with me. We'll split up the rest of the crew to balance out the teams."

Raising her hand, Samara asked a question, "Shepard, before we go, I think we should also know about the criminals from the Child's world in case we encounter them."

"Good idea," Shepard agreed before looking at the Shinobi. "Well?"

Nodding to Sakura, the girl stepped forward towards the briefing table. "EDI, please call up the profile of Uchiha Sasuke that I had you scan," as a full body display of Sasuke was showed via the holograph projector.

"Uchiha Sasuke was a former member of my village and originally teamed with Naruto and I when he first became Shinobi. He is considered a genius and was the top of our graduating class. He betrayed the village in a bid for power in order to avenge his clan after his brother killed them all, save for Sasuke himself," she started in a standard tone for a briefing. "Sasuke supposedly witnessed the murder of his own parents," she added.

"So he's fucked up royally," Jack commented before Sakura continued.

"Yes, it gets worse. After he killed his brother he was still bent on revenge and decided that our home village was responsible for the death of his clan and was part in a war that tried to annihilate the village when he allied himself with a lunatic calling himself Uchiha Madara." She finished taking a small breath before continuing.

"Sasuke is highly trained for combat in terms of hand to hand, ninjutsu and sword fighting. His family dojutsu makes him especially dangerous," as the hologram changed and zoomed in on his eyes to detail the Sharingan. "This is the called 'The Sharingan' and it's very dangerous. It allowed people in Sasuke's clan to not only copy any fighting style they see but to copy and ninjutsu they see as well. They can also cast Genjutsu illusions on others which makes it nearly suicidal to engage them one on one. This isn't even going into the special abilities that Sasuke did possess but we don't know if it's been restored or not."

"In other words we should avoid engaging him at all?" Ashley asked, slighting unnerved at how dangerous this Sasuke truly could be.

"I believe that a biotic could handle themselves against him," Samara added. "Though I am curious how he was captured before?"

"Naruto defeated him and blinded him," Sakura answered. "Naruto is the only one that can fight him in a one on one situation among us and even that would take him out of fighting anyone else."

"And now it seems the collectors restored his sight and he's hell bent on revenge again," Shepard added in with her conclusion. "What about the other one?"

The image them changed to display a younger Kabuto before his changes as Sakura began to speak again. "Yakushi Kabuto is a former assistant to Orochimaru…" which got a few murmurs from Mordin, "and was a spy planted in our village. He is a highly talented med-nin like myself and also committed human experimentation including ones performed on himself."

"He's a lunatic?" came as a question from Tali.

"I would say so, especially since he took the remains of Orochiumaru, after Sasuke killed him and implanted them in himself," she explained as the image changed to how Kabuto looked now, with the cloak, the pale skin, and the snake head and body that came out from under the cloak.

"Whoa!" Jack said in shock.

"And here I thought Vorcha were bad," Garrus commented.

"So, what's his part in all of this?" continued Miranda.

"He's out to kill, me and Sasuke and not necessarily in that order." Naruto answered for Sakura, ignoring the pink haired girls concern. "Dunno why he wants to kill Sasuke other than for revenge on his master but he's still sore at me for kicking his ass when I was twelve," Naruto finished, earning a few snickers from the people in the room.

"Ok, so this guy is equally as dangerous but safer to engage for us than the others?" Shepard asked.

"Yes though in reality, it's our problem so we should handle it," Tenten stated, speaking for the first time.

"Wrong answer lollipop," Jack said.

"Yes Sakura, these two have hurt important people to us, they must be shown true justice," Samara added, with a small flash of her biotic power for the added benefit.

"But we can't ask…" Naruto started before Shepard cut him off.

"You're not. We're a team and as a team we all handle this stuff," she started. "If we encounter them and get the shot, we'll take it but otherwise we'll avoid this Sasuke as much as possible while we will try to deal with everything else. If we're lucky, we won't see them and be able to get out of here in one piece," the commander finished before tapping the communicator. "Joker, get the repairs done as soon as possible, we'll probably have to make a quick exit," she stated as the meeting came to an end and the team got ready to out.

* * *

The mission for the most part was going about as close to planned as possible. If anything it was too easy as Shepard's team reported minimal encounters as did Naruto's own team of himself, Sakura, Samara, Thane and Ashley. According to Shepard, Legion was also moving at a decent pace and soon would be at the rendezvous point to open the door for Naruto's team.

After one short engagement, Naruto's team began to move across the platforms that the Collector's used to transport themselves down to the level they were on. As his team moved through, Naruto suddenly got himself caught within a kinetic field as the platform he was on started to sake and then move away.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed as she was held back by Thane and Samara while the platform floated away from his team.

Realizing he was stuck, he just stayed as clam as possible when his communicator went off.

"Naruto? Naruto this is Shepard – respond!" came the voice of the commander in his ear.

"Taichou, I'm fine though I think they've got plans for me," he confirmed grimly.

"We'll home in on your location and get you out," came Tali's voice, filled with concern.

"No, go ahead with the mission, I'll get out," he said before his communicator cut out with static. "I just have to figure out how," as he suddenly felt a very strong and uneasy feeling from within himself. Concentrating, he focused himself and went to the fox to try and figure out what it was suddenly worked up about. He didn't even get a chance to go deep within himself as he heard the noise of wings as he saw one of the Collector's fly in and land on the platform.

It then began to glow and almost explode before looking at him and speaking.

"**We are Harbinger," **came the voice from the Collector in front of him. "**We wish to speak to you Uzumaki Naruto. We have a proposition for you.**"

* * *

Author's Notes: A holiday (Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians) means someone was able to sit down and clear a chapter for me so thus the quick turnaround once again. A major change as the pairing was supposed to be posted but GT really fought with me over how it was written/put in the chapter and after a few hours of back and forth talking I relented because she was mostly right – it wasn't believable for the characters. I may still update the character filter/listing/whatever because it's now full on leading in that direction and maybe it'll get people off my back about it.

A few more small changes (can't say – spoilers) and the chapter pretty much remained as it was originally done. Anyway, the count is now 4 to go!

Don't know when the next chapter will go up so it could be a week or whatever.

Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	23. Chapter 23

Naruto Effect

Chapter 23

* * *

Hitting the vent control console, Jane Shepard moved quickly and took cover expecting to be attacked by more Collector's as she watched Legion continue to move through the transparent vent. That was the strange thing, after their initial engagements with some patrols the Collector's for the most part hadn't done a thing to stop or even slow them down. The commander had to think to herself if it had anything to do with Naruto's separation from his team. That led her to another line of thinking that she tried to control as a flood of memories of the last time Naruto and her went against the Collector's and his near death at their hands. _It's different now_ she reminded herself, trying to push those maternal instincts that had crept in ever since she'd met the boy. Of course, knowing that you looked like the young man's deceased mother doesn't help and making her think that there is a connection. If it wasn't for her years of training she figured she'd have been closer to freaking out right now.

Unlike last time, she knew his armor was upgraded and could handle both of his energy powers. She also knew he was better armed and better prepared than last time since they all didn't know what exactly to expect.

That didn't help much but it at least gave her a chance to trust and focus.

"It's odd that we're not fighting them," Tali commented. "The last time they were all over us."

"Perhaps Naruto-kun's blazing flame of youth is drawing them away," Lee offered.

"It would make sense," Mordin added. "Especially if they think he is the biggest threat among us."

Sighing, Tali turned to look at the pair that were with her team. "That's not making me feel better to think that a base full of Collector's is after him," she finished.

_Hmmm_ thought the commander after hearing that. It was natural for Tali to be concerned for Naruto; next to herself Tali was the closest to him. Still, the way she sounded made it seem like there's more to it. _Naaaa_ dismissing the idea as they reached the next corridor.

"Garrus, how are things on your end? We're near the end here," Shepard spoke into her communicator.

"We're almost at the doors now Taichou," was a reply that was clearly Sakura, though there was also sounds of gunfire in the backgrounds. "We've run into a bit of trouble though," the girl finished as more gunfire was heard.

"Just take your time and we'll meet up soon," The commander finished as she clicked off the communicator and waved Ashley and Tali forward. Moving ahead she saw the doors that led to the spot where she would meet the other team as well as a small group of Collector's meant to stop them and where the last console that needed to be activated to let Legion finished her mission.

Despite all this, Jane Shepard's thoughts were focused on the blonde Shinobi who was now off probably fighting his own battle.

She just hoped it wasn't a two against one fight.

* * *

"What sort of 'proposition' do you have to offer?" Naruto said to this 'harbinger' that had appeared in front of him.

"**You alone are closer to us than any other organic. You are closer to what we are than any being currently alive, including these vessels. We have seen our error and wish for you to be our avatar, our symbol, our vanguard.**" The collector told him.

Naruto was a bit taken back, did this guy not do any sort of background check about him especially with Kabuto and Sasuke on his side. _Wait a sec, is that the reason? _He thought ashe put the pieces together. He wasn't the brightest but over the years when he slowed down and thought for a second he could figure things out. Now it all made sense, especially with what he got from the fox during his journey to this meeting - how the fox was created by the Rikudo Sennin. How this being set it loose upon the world to watch how it would interact with the people there. How the Rikudo Sennin would grow to care for the world and less about its experiment and take a women and teach the people how to use "chakra". It's also why they most likely allied with Sasuke and Kabuto, why they were so concerned with Naruto himself.

These "Collector's" were nothing more than just puppets and that this "Harbinger" was in fact one of these Reapers taking control of them and using them to speak, much like how the fox has done similar when he tapped into too much of its power.

Now they wanted to use him to do similar and to use Naruto's own power for their own.

"In other words, I guess you're not too happy with those you chose to ally with and you're hoping that you could convince me to fill that role. I could have saved you the effort and told you that you couldn't trust those two," Naruto started. "Though if you knew anything about me then you should already know my answer."

"**You do not understand what is being offered. You cannot understand or even comprehend. This has happened before and it will happen again. It will continue because we allow it just as we allow your world to remain hidden even though the one before you tried to hide it from us.**"

"What do you mean 'the one before'?" Naruto asked, slightly confused. Could the being know of the Rikudo Sennin as well?

"**The one who gave your people their power and hid you from us. The last of those who later become our vessels, who tried to protect those of your world and those beings that existed within your world. You are like them and you can be given the great place as being the leader, the one that prepares the rest for their ascension. **"

Naruto was trying to wade through what he was told. That his people were protected and given their power for a reason. He was aware that he was a distant relation of the Rikudo Sennin, and even the fox has called him that once or twice, but this…this...now it started to make sense. That was when he started laughing.

"I get it now. You are afraid of me and my people," he started. "You don't know how to deal with us so you're hoping to get one of us to help wipe the rest out so that when you and your Reaper buddies come we won't be able to fight you ourselves and help the rest of the people here that live here."

There was no reaction from the Collector in front of him and Naruto nodded to himself and continued "That's why you wanted to talk to me, that's why you went to my world and didn't wipe us out when you could have easily done so."

"**Typical response, you think that you are more than just that which you are. Part of the cycle, you survived because of us, you will fall because of us.**"

Shaking his head, Naruto knew he was on the right track his mind connecting the dots.

"Oh you can't bullshit a bullshitter. You didn't know about it because the Rikudo Sennin hid us and we grew and evolved without your knowing and now we are a thorn in your plans," he said. "So I can tell you now, fuck you. I'm going to fight you and beat you now. What kind of Hokage would I be if I didn't fight an evil that threatens my village like you."

"**You are a fool, you will never understand, you will…**" but was cut off as the conversation between the two was ended when Naruto drew one of his pistols and shot the Collector in the head.

"It was a boring conversation anyway," and he looked around and started to think of a way out of his predicament. That was when the shields around him vanished and he watched as several platforms rise up with armed Collector troops. When the platforms finally locked together then Collector's began to move on Naruto but he was ready and used his pistols to dispatch the enemies before they could even raise their weapons.

That was when he heard clapping and turned to see someone casually sitting on one of the platforms.

"Well well Naruto-kun. I tried telling Harbinger-sama that you wouldn't take his offer but he insisted that you would see the logic of what he said," Kabuto started before standing and walking closer to Naruto. "Now, he will have no choice but to kill you and your friends before wiping out all of Konoha and the rest of the Shinobi people."

With a smirk and a growl Naruto looked straight at the traitorous Med-nin, "Not unless we put an end to this now." And he raised his guns and pointed them at Kabuto knowing he was one shot away from putting an end to at least Kabuto. "Where's Sasuke?"

Chuckling again, this time also shaking his head Kabuto gave a reply.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Before pointing at him, "Now please, lower those weapons and let us at least fight as true Shinobi, unless you no longer have a sense of honor…"

"Fine by me, it would be better this way when I kick your ass again with my own skill," Naruto said as he put his guns away and drew a pair of Kunai along with putting some Wind charka into them causing the blades to glow.

Smiling, Kabuto took up a stance before slapping his hands together. "Then, let us start and see if you can show me the truth to this universe oh so mighty Rikudo Sennin," and then after charging some chakra he slammed his hands onto the platform. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" was the shout as Naruto watched a pair of coffins raise from the ground.

"I guess we'll just skip the warm-up," was all Naruto said in reply as his fight was about to start.

* * *

The teams finally met up with each other as Legion completed his job and hacked the door controls to allow them to pass. Legion came very close to being done in by a sudden flood of Collector troops but quick thinking of Tenten's part had a firing line set up to hold them back long enough for Shepard to get Legion back as Grunt and Garrus manually shut the doors effectively stopping their attackers.

"Good thinking," Shepard commented to the bun haired girl.

"Thank you Taichou," she answered with a smile before taking a quick gasp. At the same time Sakura did the same while Lee just had a shocked look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked concerned over her Shinobi while not understand why they were acting differently.

Recomposing herself and looking quite scared Sakura was the one to answer, "Someone's using quite a bit of chakra."

"Is it Naruto?" Tali asked with a very hopeful tone, "I mean if it's the chakra you use maybe it's him calling of help."

Shaking her head, Sakura just looked at the group, "It's not that. From what I can tell there are four of them."

"Four?" Miranda questioned. "I thought there were you guys and only those other two Shinobi that attacked the Normandy?"

"One of them is definitely Naruto-kun," Tenten added. "But I'm not sure of the others."

"Can you tell where they are?" Shepard asked. "Maybe we can go help if he's out numbered."

Closing her eyes for a second, Sakura quietly breathed in and out before turning and pointing upwards.

"They're up there, I think they're fighting. It's Naruto for sure but I can't tell the other three but I know none of them are Sasuke," She said before finishing as if on cue the ceiling shook violently and they could hear an explosion above the,. "He must be fighting Kabuto or else it would be far worse than it is."

"That would explain the other people," Tenten added while Lee just had a grim look on his face.

Confused and being out of the loop it was Jack who asked the question.

"So what, he's taken that guy before right? What's the big deal then? And what's up with the other two you say you sensed."

Sighing again and looking to see if Tenten and Lee would offer any support, Sakura answered the biotics question.

"Kabuto has the ability to raise the dead," and she watched the surprised, confused and disbelieving looks on the Normandy teams faces.

"What?" Tali asked. "What do you mean raise the dead?" clearly disbelieving what she just heard.

"Sakura, you are a field medic, you should know that it is impossible to do such," Mordin added.

"I'm not lying, he's done it before and has done it now. That's the only explanation for Naruto to be up against more than two and for him to be using that much chakra," she started before looking at them with hard eyes. "You believe that Naruto has a demon sealed in him but can't believe this?"

Raising her hand, Samara walked forward towards Sakura. "Please understand that for us, many of the things you take for granted or easily accept are impossible for us."

"Cerberus effectively raised Shepard from the dead so I guess it's could be possible for your chakra to be used to reanimate dead tissue," Miranda added with a bit of pride in her voice.

Thinking for a second Shepard then asked the only question she could think of, "Can we help him?"

Watching the girl in front of her, Shepard could have sworn that Sakura went a little pale with a sad look on her face. "No, we'll just get in his way. It's best to keep moving and then meet up with him afterwards," she finished as she turned away and looked towards the direction they were suppose to head while fingering a Kunai that was attached to her armor.

"Ok, let's move people and keep an eye out for our crew," Shepard commanded but thinking something else entirely.

_You better not die kid or else I'll bring you back myself and then kill you._

* * *

Slamming against one of the small walls of the platform, Kabuto could feel his eyes burning and darkness taking his sight he watched as the flames around Naruto's body flicker out and he went back to normal. He already knew he would die from the blood loss since Naruto had cut off his tail in the midst of their battle. He still couldn't believe it, even using the Edo Tensei and summoning _them_ to help him fight he still lost against the son of the fourth. The boy everyone declared a loser, a dead last, a nothing, a hindrance. The boy who kept getting knocked down and kept getting back up and coming at them even harder was truly the one. For the first time in his life Kabuto actually believe that Orochimaru had it wrong.

They should have targeted Naruto and not Sasuke all along.

Coughing, he could taste blood which meant that his time in this world was ending sooner than he would have expected. There was no way he could heal himself even if he tried to shed his skin and replace his body. Looking forward, or what he could see as being forward he decided to reward Naruto for his actions.

"So that's how you did it, how you defeated the immortal Madara, how you removed the Sharingan from the world until Harbinger-sama restored Sasuke-kun's eyesight, I will admit to being honored at seeing you in all your glory Naruto-kun or should I say Rikudo Sennin." and then coughed some before continuing, "I suppose I'll answer your question now before I head to the other side."

"What did I ask you?" Naruto said in a voice that Kabuto could tell was a bit strained not realizing that Naruto truly didn't recall their conversation before the fight.

At least he was able to wind the next Rikudo Sennin in their fight.

"You asked where Sasuke-kun is so I'll tell you," Kabuto stated before taking breath. "Harbinger-sama sent him on an errand. He took my little experiment with him as a test and vowed he was going to destroy Konoha with those of the Collector's that joined him," Before coughing more and spitting up more blood.

And just like that, Yakushi Kabuto's life came to an end. No grand good-byes or ominous threats. Not saying anything more, Naruto reached down and grabbed his kunai before turning to try and figure out a way off this platform.

That's when he heard a voice, "**Assuming direct control.**"

Turned he could see Kabuto's body rising from the ground, seeing what looked like metal implants start to glow and the body began floating in the air before there was a small explosion and he could see that the body was back on it's feet.

"**We Are Harbinger!**" the Kabuto-Harbinger said to him

"Oh COME ON, Give me a bit of a break!" Naruto whined/complained knowing he had another fight on his hand.

* * *

Haruno Sakura never wanted to see again what she and the others witnessed just mere minutes ago when they watched that poor person get dissolved right in front of them. Thankfully the quick thinking on the commander's and the rest of their team's part allowed them to get and free the entire Cerberus crew.

"Thank you commander for coming after us and for rescuing us, all of you…" Doctor Chakwas spoke. "I never thought we'd get out of there."

"Any sign of Yeoman Chambers?" Miranda asked the doctor since Kelly was the only missing member from the Cerberus crew.

"A white haired man took her away saying he was going 'to make her better'."

That drew concerned looked from the Shinobi as each of them were well aware of Kabuto's human experiments.

"Shepard, we should send them back with the Normandy, they need medical attention," Sakura suggested after checking over the members of the crew.

"No we can stay and help," Chakwas insisted to the team.

"Sakura is right; you can't fight in your condition."

"But how are we supposed to make it back to the ship?" Chakwas asked.

Just then the communicator went off with Joker's voice coming through.

"Commander, we've got some of the Normandy's systems back online and can do a pick up if need be."

"Good to hear joker," the commander said in reply. "Tali will be with the crew along with the Shinobi," she ordered out.

"But Taichou.." Sakura began to protest about being taking off the mission.

"Sakura, we need your medic skills and for you guys to help Tali make sure the crew gets back," Shepard countered. "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye out for him," She finished as she watched the pink haired girl hang her head in defeat.

"Sakura, don't get any ideas of jumping ship either," Shepard added.

Looking at Tali, the Quarian just nodded and activated her communicator. "Joker, home in on my signal and meet us for a pickup," as they moved away with the Cerberus crew and left the team in the same spot.

"You didn't want the kids with us for this part Shepard?" Thane asked after everyone was out of hearing range.

"I just didn't want them to think they would have to run off and help Naruto, especially if he's fighting that other kid," Shepard replied while looking around the area. "Edi, what are all these tubes for?" she asked toward the ship's AI as she looked at the ceiling.

"Unknown Shepard but they appear to be important as they are everywhere and lead to a central chamber," was the reply they got from the AI. "There also seems to be a lot of power coming from that area."

"That's where we should go if we want to blow this place," Garrus suggested. "With the amount of power there it would definitely be enough to put this place out of business.

"Commander, there is another problem – while there are two paths to this area the first is full of Collector troops while the second is clear of them as it is full of Seekers."

"That isn't good," Ashley remarked. "I don't feel like getting stung by them again if I can help it…" recalling of what happened to her back on Horizon.

"Shepard, I believe a powerful biotic like myself could generate a field or bubble to repel the seekers and allow the passage of a small team though the tunnel," Samara offered.

"In that case, any Biotic could do the job," Miranda added.

"Jack will come with me through the seeker swarm along with Ashley and Thane," Shepard commanded, "Garrus, take lead and get the others through the other way and as safely as you can."

"You got it Shepard," Garrus responded and he and the rest of the remaining team members geared up.

* * *

Despite the stress in holding off the seekers, Jack managed to get the team through the path unscathed. The surprise wasn't the lack of Collector troops but the fact that the leader one that usually popped up where ever Shepard was hadn't been seen. Right now she was mostly focused on finding out what this power source could be and how to blow the station. The leader could wait, especially after they found Naruto.

Reaching the meeting point they spotted the other team coming through the door, followed by gunfire.

"Everyone ok?" Shepard asked to Garrus as he moved slowly to the other side to catch his breath.

"We're all fine Shepard though there were some close calls," he reported back to the Commander.

"Ok, so where are we?" Jack asked as they looked around to find a large empty gap and a single moving platform waiting.

"Shepard, this is the only way that leads to the source of that power signal," EDI reported.

Looking around, the commander saw that EDI was correct and that there was no other way. They also heard the sound behind the door that the Collector's were trying to get through.

"What's the plan skipper, do we all go or does someone stay to watch our backs?" Williams asked as she came up with an idea of how to handle things before Shepard gave her orders.

"Grunt, Legion are with me. The rest of you will hold this spot for as long as you can before making your way back to the Normandy," she ordered before stopping to add. "And keep your eyes and ears open for Naruto. He'll probably make himself useful sooner rather than later," She finished with a small smile and then jumping onto the platform, she turned to look back onto her gathered team, also opening her communicator so the people aboard the Normandy could hear what she was about to say.

"We've come a long way. On this journey we've lost a few friends but we've also gained many more. We all have different backgrounds, different pasts and different paths but we've all come together to send the Collector's, send the Reapers a message. This is the line and we won't take any more. No more attacks, no more kidnappings, no more people getting hurt," She said as she saw all her crew nodding and Grunt and Legion joined her on the platform. Just as Shepard was about to make another speech they heard what appeared to be a small explosion and saw the ceiling above them rattle a bit.

"Looks like the kid has started a party without us," Grunt joked in his usual manner.

"Can't let him one up us," Shepard said as she turned to start the platform before looking back at the rest of the team. "Just remember my orders, hold as long as you can and then leave for the Normandy," she finished as she hit the control panel on it and the platform began to move towards the other side.

Floating along on the platform they saw the tubing all meeting up and that's when the collected three saw what they couldn't believe.

"EDI, is that what I think it is?" the commander asked into her communicator.

"Yes Commander, it is a Reaper. A human Reaper that is currently being built by the Collector's here. It is clearly incomplete," The AI finished as they could see the giant metallic head and ribcage along with an arm being held up in the center of the chamber by four giant tube-like injector devices.

Looking around and at her companions Shepard then asked the next obvious question.

"Ok, how do we destroy it?"

* * *

Gun shots rang out as Naruto continued to pepper this Harbinger controlled Kabuto with fire but no matter what he did or where he aimed, the possessed body wouldn't stop. After the initial attack, Naruto quickly drew his weapons since he didn't think this Reaper had any idea or concept of an 'honorable duel' much less cared about it.

"Would you just drop dead and stay dead!" he yelled at the being, clearly frustrated.

The only answer he got was a couple of chakra-like fireballs sent towards him that he barely managed to dodge. _This is getting tiresome_ as he checked to see he was out of ammunition for his guns. Taking a quick look he saw that the possessed body had moved to where one of the small walls on the platform was behind it. Throwing his guns at it he then took one of his three pronged kunai and threw it right at the body striking it in the chest.

The Being looked at the Kunai and then saw Naruto draw out a regular Kunai in each hand before he vanished in a flash and then it was hit with a force that knocked it into the wall as Naruto stabbed each hand with his Kunai, pinning it to the platform.

"There, now you can't move," had said with a smile, happy to finally have used the Hiraishin no jutsu with success.

It was then that he felt the whole place shake along with some explosions.

"**Foolish human. This changes nothing. Now you have become known to those who will be you salvation and your destruction. You will not delay the inevitable, the coming storm will put an end to all of this,**" The Reaper possessed Kabuto started to speak.

Turning to look at him Naruto just smiled, "Yea, you and your pals may be coming..." he started to say as he raised his hand and formed a Rasengan, "but I'll be waiting and ready for you and your machine bastards," he finished as he slammed it into the end destroying the body and ended the Reapers rant once and for all.

"Now I really need to find a way out," he said as he noticed more explosions going off and started to move and try to find a way back to the Normandy.

* * *

"The base is going to explode is less than sixty seconds Jeff" EDI's voice sounded as Joker raced back into the ship and to the helm.

"Yes, I know EDI," he said as he sat down and started to move the ship."Everyone hang on!"

The ship started to move away from the Collector base as the explosions began to multiply. That was when Sheppard saw Sakura rushing into the cockpit area.

"We can't leave yet, Naruto hasn't come back!" she shouted

"What!" Shepard replied. "Joker, turn around!" she commanded to the helmsman.

"It's too late commander," he said trying to concentrate on getting the ship away from the exploding base.

Sakura was in a near panic till she suddenly felt the kunai attached to her armor and remembered what Naruto said to her and the rest of the team

_If you guys ever get into trouble, the worst kind of trouble then take this and throw it on the ground and I'll come and help you. No matter what, I'll know and be able to come._

Quickly realizing Sakura turned and went into the CIC area and took the kunai and threw it into the deck.

"Come on Naruto, don't lie to me," she quietly said as she waited and held her breath as the ship moved further and further away. That was when she sense some chakra and suddenly there was a yellow flash and Naruto appeared and fell into Sakura's waiting arms as she fell to her knees holding him.

"Naruto!" Tali shouted before turning to the cockpit, "Shepard!"

Looking back toward the CIC the commander saw Naruto on the floor being held by Sakura and then turned back to Joker

"Joker, go go go!" she shouted just as the base exploded completely, sending out a massive shockwave.

"Don't worry, we're going!" replied as the ship began to gain speed and then flew away escaping the blast and heading to safety.

_Mission accomplished_ was all that Shepard could think of as they flew away and she walked back to check on Naruto. She watched as Sakura was now cradling him in her arms, holding him form behind and could see that he was barely awake.

Looking up, Naruto saw the red headed Shepard walk closer, her face filled with concern and for an instead thought it was someone else. "Kaasan" he muttered out before realizing it was not in fact his mother he was looking at.

"He's just tired out from using up his chakra and being his normal reckless self," Sakura assured trying to cover what he had just said in case it offended the commander.

Looking back down at the young man who was about to pass out, Shepard just smiled "Rest up, that's an order."

"Wait," he started. "Sasuke wasn't there. He left and he's heading to destroy Konoha." He managed to get out before passing out as Sakura began to check him for injuries again. His message made them not notice Tali was also fussing over him as the pair slowly picked him up and took him to the Med-Bay.

"That would explain why the Collector ship wasn't at their base or why there seem to have been less actual Collector's in the base than expected." Thane added.

Turning back to the cockpit, Shepard shouted to Joker. "Joker! Set a course for Shin and get us there ASAP!"

Shepard could only hope for her crew's sake they could make it to Shin303 in time.

* * *

Author's notes: And here we have it, chapter 23 finally checked and rechecked and ready for mass consumption. A few changes here and there but nothing that is really worth talking about. Truth is, this is the chapter where I played with the idea of killing off Sakura (yes, you can all cheer with glee and say I should have done it you bunch of haters) but it didn't feel right to do such now so I pushed it off to doing it, if I plan to, near the end of the story.

I intentionally left out who Kabuto summoned for the fight and I'll leave it to you guys to speculate and debate and theorize who it could have been. The fight itself was glossed over mostly because it didn't have a big impact on the story after his conversation with harbinger but left it in there because it just seemed right that he would challenge Naruto after the conversations end.

I had also toyed with the idea of Shepard choosing to save the base but it was going to blow up anyway because of Naruto's fights with both Kabuto and then the Kabuto-posessed Harbinger but I figured that would be a bit much. Those who know of Mass Effect 1 should recall that the Kabuto bit is a tip of the hat to the final fight with Saren in a way. Also, the part about him calling Naruto "Rikudo Sennin" is just him taunting him and has no secret meaning behind it. Kabuto is a talking especially with Naruto because he knows he gets a rise out of him. Just so we're clear because someone will make issue with that.

The pairing is coming in the next chapter to make it "official" and if you think you know what it is then good for you because most people haven't figured it out and quite a few of you are dead wrong. Guess the red herring worked like a charm ;)

Chapter 24 will be a bit slow in coming as there's a huge plot hole that needs to be filled in it so it might take an entire re-write in order to fix it.

And I think that's it.

Translations:

_Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei_ – loosely means "Underworld summoning" or "Undead Summoning". It was a jutsu developed by Orochimaru and that Kabuto also used to summon Shinobi who had died back to life to fight as their slaves in battle.

_Kaasan_ - loosely means "mom" or "mother"

Thanks for reading and see you next time


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto Effect

Chapter 24

* * *

Waking with the Normandy being rocked from the turbulence as the ship travels through space, Naruto quickly realized that he was back in his quarters and had a pair of bodies close to him. Looking to his left he spotted Sakura and wasn't surprised that she was there. Despite their current status with each other, which he was happy about after all those years of chasing her, he recalled that ever since the start of this adventure on this ship the girl would slowly inch closer to him during the night. No, the surprise was the person to his right.

"Tali-chan? Am I dreaming?" he spoke quietly trying not to wake her but clearly confused why she'd be snuggled up to him despite her recent attitude change around him.

"Relax Naruto, "came Sakura's voice. "You're not dreaming or anything."

He was still extremely confused. Why was Tali here? Why was Sakura so calm about it?

Stirring, Tali looked up and he could tell she was smiling from behind her mask before she sat up and took a hold of his hand.

"I guess it's time I explain everything," And with his confused nod she continued.

"Well, you see. It's like this. You're special to me, you see more than just the suit like so many others and if we were 'related' we couldn't be any more than that and well you're a great person and now I'm babbling since it's a defense mechanism…" she ran on in a near single sentence but Naruto was starting to think she was getting to something and it was something he really didn't want to think about.

"Tali, are you trying to say…" he started to ask but was cut off with a quick and defining statement from the Quarian.

"I've fallen in love with you Naruto…"

Shocked, stunned and completely blown away were all the terms that could be used to describe Naruto's state as he tried to process what Tali just said. That was when he remembered who else was in the room and realized what this could really be especially with her being right beside him at the moment.

"But Sakura-Chan…" he began but couldn't finish as Sakura had covered his mouth with her hand

"She's being honest Naruto. This isn't a test or something if that's what you're thinking," the medic-nin started. "We've talked about it since it's been something that Tali has been dealing with for a while and as Tali has said, we've reached an agreement – we both love you and we've decided to share you."

Taking a mental step back, Naruto was now sure this was a trick. His Sakura-chan would never agree to something like this. Yes, there was that time when they were drunk with Tenten but Sakura would never agree to this completely sober. Placing his hands together he began to focus and release a burst of chakra to break the obvious Genjutsu that he'd been placed under after he passed out in the CIC.

"What are you doing?" Tali asked him, confused when he began to close his eyes and start saying 'kai' quietly.

"He thinks he's in a genjutsu," Sakura replied. "Which he's not," she finished more for his benefit than for Tali. Sakura reached over and took Naruto's hands and made sure he opened his eyes to look right at her.

"Naruto, we talked. We both want to be with you and this is the best solution for us, especially since there's a good chance one or all of us won't be surviving the upcoming fight with him..." Sakura hated being negative but she needed to be realistic and make sure Naruto fully understood where she and Tali stood. "We don't want to go into this with any regrets," she continued. "But if you don't want to we'll respect that."

Naruto just stared at the girl he chased for years and seemed to finally have caught and now he was being told that the other whom he had grown very close to in a short time also felt the same about him.

"I'm not sure what to make this. Isn't this what you were scared about me becoming when I left with Ero-Sennin?" he muttered quietly.

Shaking her head and chuckling Sakura just began to pull him closer and looked over and motioned Tali to come closer as well. "I understand since I was the one that got on your case about this stuff but this is an exception and I'm sure everyone will understand, even Tsunade-sama," Sakura knew how important Tsunade's view of him was to Naruto so she knew how to reassure him about it.

"I'm fine with this Naruto. Like Sakura said, no regrets going in and we'll figure everything else out afterwards when we get through this," Tali added.

"But, won't you get sick if you open your suit Tali-chan?" Naruto asked in concern over the girl's health, given what he knew about Quarians from his time around Tali and her people.

"I've helped with that and she should be fine for an hour of so outside her suit," Sakura answered for the Quarian. Sakura also had a few ideas about this and wanted to talk to her master at some point, if she could, as it could mean something very interesting for not only Tali but her people as a whole.

Taking a breath, Naruto just smiled "I'm the luckiest guy having two great girls love me, aren't I?"

Smiling, Sakura just looked at Tali who gave a nod and then Tali stood up from the bed roll and removed her mask followed by her helmet. The pair from Konoha just stood there stunned at what they saw under the helmet.

"Naruto you're drooling," Sakura said, elbowing the blond not being aware that he's already seen her unmasked and was just doing a poor imitation of his late godfather.

"So are you Sakura-chan," he replied.

* * *

The Normandy exited the Mass Relay and began flying as fast as it could toward Shin303. Shepard had already been told by Tali that the ship's engines had been pushed too hard and that it would require some repair time but that was for later. Now she just had to hope that by some small chance they arrived before the Collector's did.

"Shin coming into range," Joker called out from his pilot's seat. "EDI go full stealth."

"Miranda, did we beat them here?" Shepard asked to her second in command.

Over at another console, Miranda Lawson was using it to scan the area and planet's surface.

"Negative Shepard, we've tracked a thermal trail and it appears their ship has landed on the planet."

"It's like Horizon all over again…" Muttered Ashley Williams from the side.

"Get the shuttles prepped and get everyone ready to go," Shepard then ordered as the crew and members of her team began to move. "Joker, we'll stick with the plan and when we're ready you take that ship out."

"Roger that Commander, go get'em!"

* * *

As the shuttles were flying to the surface, Shepard began to brief the gathered members of her team and the Shinboi present. She assumed that Miranda Lawson was doing the same with the other members of the team in the other shuttle.

"Right now the Collector's ship is just outside of your village," the commander noted to the Shinobi. "The problem is that the Normandy can't lock onto it to destroy it."

"That makes no sense Shepard," Tali began to ask. "Why outside of the village?"

"Because it's more demoralizing to crush an enemy's defenses before you crush them than to just drop in and hit them hard and fast," Naruto answered before turning to his team. "It's what Jiraiya-sensei taught me so…"

"…so chances are Orochimaru taught Sasuke the same thing," Sakura finished recalling some of the talks about tactics she had with her own master who happened to be the team mate of Naruto and Saskue's masters.

"In any case, our job is to somehow get the ship to drop whatever is blocking the Normandy's targeting systems so it can take it out and then we'll help your village mop up what's left of the Collector's."

"And if Sasuke is there I'll deal with him," Naruto exclaimed.

"We'll deal with him Naruto," Sakura corrected. "You're not dealing with him alone. Not this time."

Naruto was about object but Lee spoke up.

"Yes Naruto-kun. Let us assist you this time and together our combined flames may be enough light for Sasuke to finally be freed of his darkness."

That seemed to do what was needed as Naruto just quietly nodded in agreement as the shuttle closed in on their landing point.

"In that case," Naruto began. "I got an idea."

* * *

From her spot on top of the Hokage tower, Tsunade watched as just beyond her village walls a battle was taking place. The last time these Collector's came, the Shinobi of Konoha were not ready and caught off guard. This time things were different and they at least will be able to hold them back mostly due to Shikamaru's strategic planning. It will still be costly in the end as she knew many of her Shinobi would die and the village would suffer.

A puff from behind made Tsuande turn to see Kakashi standing there, "Report Kakashi."

"They are the same as last time and the lines are able to hold them. It's almost a stalemate although our forces are tiring while theirs appear to not be," he started and waited for his leader to respond.

"Relay what you know to Shikamaru and hope he has a plan," she replied knowing that unless something changed drastically things may not be good for Konoha. That was when she heard a noise above her and watched as a pair of those transports that Shepard used flew into the area with one flying over and straight to the battle lines while the other began to hover above her as a few people jumped out including…

"Hokage-sama, stand back, it's a One-Eye!" one of her ANBU guards shouted out as Kakashi got into position to attack the Geth that appeared from the shuttle. Just then Sakura appeared in between the Geth and the Shinobi with her back to the apparent foe.

"Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama wait!" she shouted with her arms spread out to try and cover Legion, "Legion-san is with us and is here to help."

Despite the battle at hand, the group of Shinboi were rightfully stunned; a one eye working with them?

"What do you mean 'here to help' Sakura?" asked her silver haired commander and former sensei in a cautious tone as he was ready to strike at the Geth in front of him.

"Legion is a part of Shepard-taichou's team," Sakura stated before looking back at the Geth behind her. "Right Legion?"

"Correct. Naruto-Gethslayer has assigned this platform to guard Sakura-Shinobi and Tsunade-baachan during the battle."

It was at this point that Legion once again neglected a lesson about the female population as Tsunade had developed a facial tick at the Geth's 'designation' for her.

"Don't mind him Shishou, "Sakura said waving her arms. "He'll be corrected," Before adopting a calmer look as her master accepted her reasoning. "I'm to help co-oridnate our groups as Naruto carries out his plan."

"Oh, and what's the brats plan for dealing with these things?" Tsunade asked, wondering when Naruto started planning out things ahead of time instead of coming up with things on the spot like he always did.

"Oh you're going to love it Shishou…" Skaura started as she began to explain his plan.

* * *

Inzuka Kiba was moving as fast as he could as the Collector's kept swarming around, trying to get past him. He was thankful it was just the foot soldiers and not any of the bigger ones or those flying ones whose names he can't be bothered to remember.

His team was just one of many on the line trying to keep them from getting at the village for a second time. When he heard the sound of something passing over his head, he didn't bother to look up, just assuming it was just something of these Collector's.

That was until he heard a very familiar yell.

"TAIGOU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" as hundreds of Narutos fell from the sky, landings all around him and began to chase and push back the Collector forces.

"About time you showed up!" Kiba yelled, very happy his comrade was now back.

"Kiba, you ok?" spoke the one that remained close, which Kiba figured was the real Naruto.

"Kiba, where are the enemy troo…" shouted Hinata as she ran into the area and then spotting Naruto, "Naruto-kun!"

"You guys should be getting orders to pull back so you should begin doing such," Naruto started in a serious tone before turning to them and having his usual goofy smile. "I kinda need the space for my plan to work."

Before either Kiba or Hinata could object Shino held his hand up to his ear to listen to his short range Radio.

"It would appear that Naruto is correct. We have just received orders to pull back to the village walls."

"What, that's nuts!" Kiba shouted before turning to Naruto. "You ain't doing this crazy stuff on your own again."

"It's alright Kiba, it's not that crazy," He said to the members of team 8. "Just trust me."

Kiba was ready to yell more but a hand touching his shoulder and turn he could see Hinata just shaking her head before she looked at Naruto.

"You know what you're doing right Naruto-kun?" she asked towards the armored Shinobi in front of them as he had once again turned to look at the giant tower like ship that was nearby where these Collector's were coming from.

"Yes Hinata, I have a plan."

"Then I trust you Naruto-Kun. Kiba, Shino, we should pull back," She said simply as if it was absolute fact.

"Fine, but don't you die you showoff," Kiba shouted before heading off with his team.

"Don't worry, I plan not to…" Naruto said even though he knew they couldn't hear him. "Alright! Time to get to work."

He then took off his gloves before biting into one of his thumbs and then doing through the handsigns for, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" and with that a giant ploom of white smoke enveloped the area and reveal a gigantic toad – the boss toad Gamabunta.

"**So, we're back in Konoha now kid? What have you gotten into now?"** the Toad called out to the summoner that was standing on his head.

"Nothing big, just need you to give me some oil and aim it at that tower thing in front of us."

"**I don't think it'll destroy that kid." **

"We don't need to destroy it, we're just going to make sure it can be seen by those who can."

* * *

Back at the Hokage Tower, Shepard jumped out of the shuttle after she had dropped off Naruto, only to be greeted by Tsunade in her usual way.

"I can't believe you would let the brat get away with this?"

"Not my first choice but given our options, it's a sound idea," The commander replied. "I just hope he can get out of the way as fast as he claims he can."

They stood there silent as those around them were speaking and relaying orders and communications back and forth while they watched the giant toad fire a stream of flame that was hitting and causing the collector ship to catch on fire and start to heat up.

"Shepard to Normandy, Joker, activate the thermal scanners and see if you got a target yet."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at that statement and wondered what they were talking about. She knew from what Sakura told her that Naruto was going to make it so their ship in the sky could destroy this Collector ship and from there they would just mop up what's left of their forces. The big problem as Tsunade saw it was that Sasuke had yet to show himself so she knew that Naruto would be the most likely target if the traitor was anywhere nearby.

"Ok Joker, take it out," Tsuande heard Shepard speak before the commander turned to Sakura. "Tell Naruto his job is done and that he should get the hell out of there."

TSuande turned to her appritence and heard the pink hair girl shout into a head set, "Move your ass Naruto, they're about to fire."

Just them a bright light appeared from above as a bolt of energy came from the sky and struck the tower like ship causing it to explode and fall to the ground. Tsunade was slightly worried when there was still no word from Naruto.

* * *

A short distance away from the massive explosion Naruto was coughing from the dust and smoke as he had Gamabunta jump away and dispel just as the Normandy blasted apart the Collector baseship. He was still trying to get his bearings when he sensed the killing intent and just barely managed to dodge the sword strike as Uchiha Sasuke came into view.

As the dust and smoke settled Naruto noticed his former friend still had the same armour he wore when he last saw him but no longer had the helmet revealing the scars around his eyes where obviously the surgery took place to restore his sight.

"I guess I won't be lucky in that you're going to surrender."

"Hardly," Saskue spoke while making no further attempt to attack again. "I want to challenge you to a duel. Just you and me to settle everything."

"And why should I say yes?" Naruto asked despite already knowing in his heart he'd jump at this chance to fight Sasuke and finish all of this. He had that promise he made to Anko to keep after-all.

"Because if you don't, I will make sure this land knows no peace and that everyone knows that this is the second time you could have stopped me but chose not to."

Seeing the anger on Naruto's face, Sasuke didn't give Naruto a chance to respond with his usual string of cursing and threats. "Just meet me at the site of our first real fight. I'll be waiting there."

Before Naruto could respond, Sasuke began to turn into mud and dissolved into the ground.

"Mud clone eh? Guess the snake really taught you all his moves…" Naruto muttered before turning and making his way back to Konoha.

* * *

Reaching the gates to the village, Naruto found himself greeted by the sight of everyone waiting and many of the Shinobi and civilians began cheering before he was practically tackled to the ground by Sakura. None of this surprised any of the gathered Shinobi or crew of the Normandy but what happened next did as Tali pushed her way through the crown and joined the pair in a now three way hug.

"Ummm…Naruto, what's going on?" came the voice of Shepard.

"uhh….ya. We're kinda together now," he answered the commander.

"All three of you?" Miranda asked, confused at this turn of events.

"WHAT THE HELL BRAT!" came a shout before he could responded as Tsunade stormed in, grabbed Naruto by his ear and proceeded to drag him into the village by said ear while he protested at his treatment.

The collective group was stunned stiff until Shepard said, "I think you two should go with them. I know you'll have much to explain as I'd like to know what's going on as well."

Both Tali and Sakura knew it wasn't a suggestion that the Commander gave to them either.

* * *

After being dragged into the Hokage's office, Naruto, Tali, and Sakura began to explain to not only Tsunade by Shepard as well what happened and why the three of them are now in a relationship. Sakura knew that Tsuande didn't want Naruto to be doing this but she also knew her mentor wanted him to be happy and since this was making him happy and neither girl had any issue right now then there shouldn't be a problem.

What did surprise her was when she was walking to Naruto's apartment that she was accosted by Ayame of all people. The ramen waitress who probably had more influence over Naruto than most people realized proceeded to question Sakura about the rumors she has been hearing and if they were true whose idea it was, be it Naruto's or one of the girls.

Now Sakura knew why Naruto feared the civilian girl the most out of his "nee-chan",

She didn't even knock when she entered the apartment. She didn't have to. She hasn't had to for a few years. Haruno Sakura watched as she saw Naruto out of his armor and back to looking like the Shinobi he was before all this started. Before the One Eyes. Before Shepard. _Then again, I ditched my armor as soon as we were told the fighting was done too._

"Naruto, what's going on?" she asked to him despite his back being to her. "Everyone's off celebrating the victory and I hear you even turned down free Ramen," She finished doing a poor job of hiding her concern.

With a sigh he turned to the girl he'd loved for years. "He's still here," he said. "I know where he is. He told me."

Closing the gap between them, Sakura place her hands on his shoulders so that she could look into his eyes.

"Then let's go finish this," she said simply.

"but, you can't, you…" and he couldn't finish as she placed her finger over his lips.

"Years ago you made that promise to me and after that mission, didn't I make one to you?"

"Together," was all he could say quietly.

"Together," she repeated.

"Then we better go before they figure it out," he told her, the fire back in his eyes.

* * *

Despite the easy going nature that was going through the village after the victory of the day, there were some things that still went on. Meetings and paper work were two of them.

Currently, Tsunade was in her office hearing the verbal report from Kakashi who had Tali with him after they went on a recovery mission to check the debris from the giant ship along with what happened to the remaining Collector's after the ship was destroyed. Shepard was also there listening and operating in her capacity as Commander of the Normandy.

"...and so far there's been nothing more. It's as if all the Collector's simply died once their base was destroyed as our Shinobi have found nothing but bodies with no survivors," the copy-nin finished as he gave his report.

"Hmmm, anything more?" the Hokage asked.

"There was a message sprawled in one of the metal plates but it's in a code that we can't recognize. I sent it to the cryptography unit to see if they can possibly decode it," Kakashi said in his normal tone.

"Would your people recognize it at all Shepard-san?" Tsunade asked towards the commander.

Looking at Tali, Shepard asked, "Do you still have the copy of the message that you can display Tali?"

"Sure commander," the Quarian replied and hit a few buttons on her Omni-tool as it displayed the image in front of the pair of leaders.

Tsunade squinted for a second before exclaiming, "Wait a second, I know this!" she started, "this is the old code that myself, Orochimaru and Jiraiya used during the war" she confirmed.

"How would off-worlders get that…wait…" Kakashi started then realized. "Hokage-sama, what does it say?"

Looking at it for a second then scribbling on some paper she read out what she decrypted. "He's waiting at the place of your first real fight," then in realization of what Kakashi figured out. "Wait, Naruto saw this right?"

"I'm not sure," Tali answered. "Is something wrong?" she asked while Tsunade ignored her and stood up.

"Fuck. SHIZUNE! Find Naruto and Sakura and get them here now!"

"What's going on?" Shepard asked, confused as much as Tali was.

"It's a message Shepard-san," Kakashi started. "Actually, it's a challenge from Uchiha Sasuke to Naruto."

"And he could understand this?" Shepard asked, now very concerned.

"Knowing that perv he would have taught him this just as I taught it to Sakura," Tsunade explained.

"So where is this place?" Tali asked.

Kakashi just replied in a very serious tone.

"The valley of the end."

* * *

Despite the distance it didn't take long for Naruto and Sakura to race and make it to their destination. Arriving at the famed valley they spotted a pair of figures down by the feet of the statue of Uchiha Madara. Quickly jumping down the pair landed by the feet of the Statue of Senju Hashirama they spotted one person but wearing a full body cloak to hide their identity and one person sitting. The one sitting was instantly recognized as that being Uchiha Sasuke. No longer wearing the armor of the Collector's, he was now back wearing his former Akatsuki cloak over his armor while still carrying his sword.

"Welcome Naruto. I'm glad you chose to come," Sasuke started. "I see you've brought Sakura with you. Afraid to faced me alone?"

"As if you're alone right now bastard," Naruto yelled back, trying to hold his temper but not doing a good job…

"Wow," the other person spoke for the first time revealing that they were female. "They actually showed Sasuke. I'm very surprised though happy at the same time since it saves us the trouble of killing the bitch too since I thought it would take my leaving that message to draw her out here as well."

_Wait, that sounds like…_Naruto thought recognizing the voice of the woman, "Kelly-chan?"

"Oh, you actually remember me? I'm touched," Kelly mockingly said with her sweet tone.

"Kelly-san! Get away from him, he's dangerous!" Sakura yelled at the woman.

"Why would I do that? Sasuke here has been nothing but a gentleman to me since my change for the better. "

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Just what you think. That Kabuto fellow changed me, improved me, and helped me see the truth. Now Naruto won't need you or Tali or even the commander anymore after what he's done to me," she replied before asking, "Wanna see?"

She then reached up and removed her hood to reveal her face to the pair and got what she wanted – shock.

"Wha..what…what's going on Kelly-chan?" Naruto stuttered out, completely shocked at what he saw.

Gasping herself, Sakura covered her mouth as she teared up at what she saw. No longer were there the short orangeish-red hair and green eyes of Kelly chambers. Now there was long red hair and brown eyes. The voice was the same but the face was different yet familiar. It was a face that Naruto and Sakura both recognized.

It was the face of Uzumaki Kushina.

"Yes Naruto, you and I can now be together forever," Kelly stated before reaching out with her arms to Naruto.

"Come to your mother Naruto."

* * *

Author's Notes: Fairly short chapter but it does what I need it to do in setting up the final two chapters. That's right, two chapters left. Hard to believe that the end is so close now.

So, this chapter underwent some major reconstruction as it was originally the Geth and not the Collector's that Sasuke attacked with. As I looked over it again, I realized that made zero sense so I reworked things around so that the Collector ship was on its way to attack. Sasuke also didn't appear at all until the end of the chapter but I thought it would be a good way to help set things up so that's why the "mud clone" appeared. The chapter was also more comedy based, mostly people's reactions to the pairing, but that didn't really suit the chapter so I re-worked.

Speaking of which, the pairing is now official. You can all stop badgering me and harassing me over it. GT's not happy with it (she's not big on threesomes) but I was back and forth on it and in the end decided to go with it. But maybe not everyone will live in the end?

You never know.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.


	25. Chapter 25

Naruto Effect

Chapter 25

* * *

Moving as quickly as they could without drawing any unneeded attention, Shepard and Kakashi walked at a brisk pace towards one of the shuttles. With them they had Ashley, Legion, Tali, Samara, and Jack. While Tsunade would have liked more Shinobi, she understood the commanders reasoning for only Kakashi to be going along, since they can cover it up as a scouting/patrol mission by the Normandy crew with the copy-nin acting as their guide should anyone ask.

The last thing any of them wanted was to create a panic within the populace with both Naruto and Sakura leaving the village without permission to deal with the rumored reappearance of Uchiha Sasuke. Kakashi also noted that if any of Naruto's and Sakura's friends found out what was happening then there would be an easily spotted deployment as none of them would sit back "like the last time" according to Kakashi. According to the masked Shinobi, all of them wanted a crack at Sasuke for what he's apparently put both Naruto and Sakura through over the years.

Shepard just hoped that this was enough given how dangerous everyone was saying this Sasuke was.

Reaching the shuttle, they were surprised to see a purple haired woman with a brown trench coat sitting on the top of it finishing eating something on a stick.

"Bout time you lot got here, I was beginning to think I'd have to go on foot to stop those morons," she said when they got closer.

"Anko," Kakashi addressed the women by name. "You know you're not medically cleared for duty yet. You shouldn't be here as I know Tsunade-sama hasn't cleared you."

Taking a closer look, Shepard was able to see that the woman's torso was wrapped in bandages. _So this is the Anko that Naruto talked about _Shepard thought to herself remembering her talk with the young man about those he cared about.

"Kakashi is right, you should be resting," Shepard added trying to be the sensible commander. She already knew the answer she'd get but she wanted to be sure this 'Anko' was on the same page, "don't worry we'll handle this."

Without missing a beat, Anko hopped off the shuttle and got right in the face of the Commander, drawing concerned looks from the Normandy crew as well as that from Kakashi.

"Now now Anko, let's not do anything rash..." Kakashi tried mediating.

"Shut it!" Anko shouted before speaking to the commander, "and you, you think I'm going to let the one person that actually gives a damn about me go off and get himself killed by a little prick who tried to cut me open just to prove a point? "We'll handle it?" you say? Well, I say I'm coming and if you don't like it too bad because I'm going after the only family I got and nothing from here and up there will stop me." She finished with a hiss in her voice.

Anko was surprised when the commander just smiled at her before speaking.

"Alright, just making sure we're on the same page," before walking past the snake summoner.

"Let's get moving before it's too late," Shepard finished to the shocked group.

* * *

Still trying to deal with the shock of what just unfolded, Sakura barely registered Sasuke moving at a blinding speed at her. That was until Naruto moved and tackled him into the waterfall leaving the pair of women to face each other.

"Oh look at that," Kelly quipped. "He's still being a hero. I sincerely hope Sasuke doesn't kill him," she finished before her smile melted away into a sneer. "Too bad for you that you are going to die here at my hands for interfering with me and Naruto."

Her last words snapped Sakura back into reality as she looked right at the imposter of Naruto's mother.

"You think killing me will make him care about you and see you differently?" Sakura scoffed. "You're even more out there then I thought you were."

This wasn't new for Sakura as she's had to deal with Hinata for years and her passive aggressive intentions. _Thankfully that's over with._ Still, it appeared Kelly wasn't going to keep it to just words like Hinata did during that time.

"Perhaps," Kelly drawled as she put her hands together and they started to glow, "but you won't be alive to see when I comfort him as his mother after I take care of the whore he's been associated with."

It was then that Kelly jumped at blinding speed and reached the side Sakura was on and striking the ground causing it to explode with her punch as Sakura jumped out of the way and on to a higher point of the statue.

_Chakra Enhanced strength? What the hell did Kabuto do to her?_ The medic mused as she watched the woman look up at her with anger in her eyes. _I don't know if I can live with the image of beating up someone with the face of Naruto's mother. _

"What did they do to you?" Sakura asked in general and not necessarily towards Kelly but the other woman answered anyway.

"Oh, he helped me, made me better." She began as a maniacal smile formed on Kelly's face, "Now I can finally show you, Shepard and especially my dear Naruto that I'm really the one he wants and needs and that he doesn't see slutty whores like you!"

Kelly once more lunged at Sakura as the medic-nin used her years of training to evade and dodge the attack from the now altered yeoman. She then looked over to the water and saw that Naruto and Sasuke were standing up and looking at each other.

_She's getting faster. I better finish this fast if I'm going to be any help to him _Sakura thought as she came up with a plan to deal with Kelly Chambers.

Sakura silently vowed she won't sit back and watch those two try to kill themselves. Not again.

* * *

Away from the stream of the waterfall and in the middle of the lake there was a pair of small eruptions from the water as Naruto and Sasuke came to the surface and landed on the water, both using their water walking skill to stand on top of the surface of the lake.

Sasuke was concentrating very hard with his Sharingan, trying to trap Naruto in a Genjutsu which was to no avail. Whatever Itachi did to the Senju in front of him was still very much in effect. Sasuke still clung to the conclusion he drew about Naruto's family ties and it allowed him to hate the man in front of him. Of course, adding to that was how Itachi chose him over Saskue for whatever this gift is to resist the power of the Sharingan helped as well.

_Damn you Naruto…_ the Uchiha seethed with the resentment he held towards his former teammate.

Naruto watched Sasuke continue to stare and then sneer, obviously trying to use his Sharingan on him.

"It won't work so don't bother anymore Sasuke," Naruto addressed the man standing across from him. "Why don't we stop this and you walk away and try living in peace or something. No one else knows you're here so you can get away."

Naruto knew that this wouldn't work but for himself and mostly Sakura and Ino he'd at least try to give Sasuke the chance to walk away. If anything of his former friend remained, now would be the time for him to show and give Naruto at least a sign that there was still something there. Something worth saving despite all that he's done again.

"Whatever Itachi did to you won't save you anymore," Sasuke spoke back while he began to pace to one side as Naruto matched him to maintain the distance between the two. "You can't run or hide now. Today I will finish you and truly avenge my clan!"

And with that Sasuke sprinted forward across the water and began trying to hit Naruto with a mix of punches and kicks. Naruto, for his part, was able to keep up but he knew counter attacking would be pointless since the Sharingan was most likely already predicting any of Naruto's possible counter-attacks. Still, he was able to move quick enough to avoid any of Sasuke's strikes and that's when he saw the smallest of openings and took it. A quick side kick to Sasuke stomach and it sent the rouge nin into the air with Naruto jumping after him.

A quick use of the Kage Bunshin and he summoned a pair and launched one at the Uchiha, getting lucky by the clone managed to grab hold of Sasuke. The other then rushed at Sasuke while the real Naruto followed behind, using the clone as a blocker, while he prepared a Rasengan.

That was when Sasuke used his Chidori Nagashi to destroy the clones and jump back and drawing his sword. Naruto released his Rasengan and decided he needed another tactic, one that he needed to set up first and then he could make his move. Pulling out his set of three pronged Kunai, which he now carried since using his father's famous technique while battling Kabuto and that Reaper, he began throwing them at Sasuke while the Uchiha, as Naruto expected, deflect them and allowing them to land at various points including letting one fly back and land in a rock face behind him.

_One good hit and it's done and then I can help out Sakura-chan…_

* * *

Flying low over the treetops, Ashley Williams flew the shuttle in the direction that Kakashi had pointed them. She honestly didn't know what to make of this whole situation but she only hoped that the pair of friends she had come to like from the Normandy were ok. Looking beside her she could see that her unofficial co-pilot was a bit nervous though Ashley chopped it up to being the purple haired woman's first time in a shuttle.

In the back of the shuttle the rest of the team tried to remain calm but Shepard could tell that Kakashi was very much on edge. Then again, she was nervous too, not knowing if Naruto would be ok or not. She wouldn't let that nagging feeling about the idea that he could be dead by the time she got there, get to her. Lucky for her, Samara decided to get them talking and not dwell on the "what ifs."

"Kakashi, what should we expect when we get there?"

"If Naruto is engaged in combat then it would be best to keep a healthy distance and let it play out," he suggested. "They both need to put an end to this," he paused and then added, "but if he looks to be in trouble then don't hesitate to jump in. I won't. Sasuke is a very dangerous opponent. What worries me is this 'experiment' of Kabuto's."

"Any idea what it could be? I mean, I know Naruto and Saukra said the guy was a psycho," Jack noted.

"Knowing Kabuto, it would be something terrible," Kakashi stated in a quiet voice. "I just hope it's nothing serious like bringing back Pein or Orochimaru or even Madara."

"We'll fly in and scan the area," Shepard interrupted. "Legion, if you have a shot at this Sasuke character then you take it."

The Geth in question just nodded just as Ashley informed them they were coming up on the battle.

Flying into the valley, the side door opened so the entire group, minus Ashley, could see the area and they spotted two fights taking place in the area. There was one by the set of giant statues and the other taking place on the water. _On the water?_ Shepard thought in shock at seeing the pair fighting and noticing one was wearing orange. _So there's Naruto and I guess Sakura is fighting someone over there._

"Legion, take out the one fighting Naruto," Sheppard barked out as she opened the shuttle door and the Geth raised and aimed its rifle at the foe of the Gethslayer.

Down on the water's surface the former teammates both heard and looked up to see the shuttle appear over the ridge and start to lower itself as the side door opened. There was the sound of a shot as Sasuke barely managed to dodge the shot and knew he would have to take out that transport. Smirking at Naruto, he ran through a set of familiar hand seals and casted his jutsu

"Kanton: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" shouted the Uchiha as he breathed out and shot a giant fireball at Naruto.

Thinking quickly, Naruto countered with the logical choice given their surroundings.

"Suiton: Suijinheki,"as the wall of water formed around him to protect him from the fireball. Once the water fell back to the lake Naruto saw Sasuke finish one hand seal before he ran his hands over the surface of the water as it began to bubble before a giant wall of Earth emerged in front of the Uchiha.

_Bastard stole my Jutsu _Naruto thought to himself as he watched his variation of the Doton: Doryuheki being used by the Uchiha.

Up in the shuttle, many of the occupants were surprised at what they saw taking place just below them.

"Ok, what the fuck is going on?" Jack asked, surprised at the fight she was seeing.

"They're using jutsu to fight and counter each other," Kakashi explained. "I'm surprised it's only this far between those two already," he finished, already recalling the previous fights his former students had had with each other and how far they had pushed the other in said fights.

"Shepard-commander, I no longer have a clear shot," Legion informed, still trying to take out Sasuke.

"Ash, move us around and lower to give Legion a better shot," Shepard ordered, not knowing they were falling into Sasuke's trap.

As the shuttle started to move Sasuke then ran up the wall and jumped to the top and drew his sword again. He then threw it into the air in the general direction of the shuttle as he prepared for his next move. Down on the water, Naruto realized what was happened and ran towards the wall, preparing a Rasengan.

"Sasuke! Don't do it!" he shouted as he got closer to the wall but it was too late.

Aslo realizing what was happening Kakashi could only shout a warning, "We're about to be hit."

Just as Legion was about to take his shot, Sasuke used his Chidori Eiso and despite the shuttle being out of the range, used his airborne sword as a medium to extend the range and the electric-chakra blade striking the shuttle. There was small pops as the systems were overloaded by the electricity as the shuttle veered off and headed down into the woods that surrounded the valley.

"We're going down skipper!" Ashley shouted.

"Everyone hang on tight," Shepard ordered as she felt Kakashi wrap his arms around her in a semi-protective manner. _I hope he doesn't think he can try to cop a feel._

* * *

From her spot, Sakura heard the explosion as she watched the shuttle veer into the woods as the wall in the lake was also shattered by Naruto, guessing he used the Rasengan judging by the destruction.

"You shouldn't ignore me," Kelly shouted as she jumped again and tried to hit Sakura with a chakra enhanced punch but missed as Sakura easily dodged it with a simple Shunshin as she reappeared back at the foot of the statue.

_Kelly had no practical training and is just using her power to enhance her strength and speed. If I could use a jutsu or get close enough to use my med-jutsu I could finished it. _Sakura thought as she watched the woman try to find where Sakura went.

"Stay in one place so I can finish this bitch!" Kelly shouted as she jumped down to meet Sakura as the pink haired girl jumped away to keep some distance.

Sakura then saw an opening and threw a pair of shuriken at the other woman only to hear a 'clang' when they stuck her cheat area.

_Body Armor? Now this is just getting worse and worse all the time… _

As much as she wanted to race to the shuttle's crash site Sakura knew that given Kelly's mental state it would be dangerous to go if there were any injured party there and have the unstable woman follow and attack.

_Time to end this _as she pulled out her gloves to really fight back.

_Even if you look like his mom I know you're not her, the real Kushina wouldn't try this crap with me. _She thought recalling what she and Shepard had spoken about along with what she read on Naruto's scroll about the real Uzumaki Kushina.

* * *

Ashley Williams had managed to land the shuttle as smoothly as a crash with a transport with no real working systems could do. Shepard came to, still in the arms of Kakashi, as the man had done the noble thing and used himself to brace the impact for the commander.

"You can let me go now," she told the man and she looked up and could tell he was smiling.

"As you wish though you'll have to excuse me for doing this," he started. "You don't seem to be the type so I thought I'd follow my student's lead and try it his way," as he finished with a chuckle while letting the commander go as she stood up.

"Oh? Naruto pulled this stunt before?" she asked while offering a hand to the copy-nin to help him to his feet.

"Yes but it didn't turn out well as that was during Sakura's 'angry days'."

"You mean she has non angry days?" came a new voice that turned out to belong to Jack who looked none the worse for wear.

Before they could answer, Shepard went into full commander mode, "Everyone ok?"

"I believe we are all unharmed Shepard outside of some minor injuries," Samara answered in her usual calm voice. "Williams' piloting saved us."

"Anko?" Kakashi asked wondering about the other Shinobi that was with the group.

"I'll live," she replied as she was leaning against a nearby tree, though she looked like she was clearly winded.

"So, what now?" asked Jack towards the collective group.

"Perhaps we should split up as a way to assist both the child and the girl," Samara offered.

"That would be good since I can match Sasuke with my own Sharingan if need be," Kakashi offered before looking out towards the former apprentice of Orochimaru, "Anko, go help Sakura and then meet up with us."

"I will join her as well as I suspect my abilities will be required," Samara added.

"Ok people, Ashley, you and Legion stay with the ship and contact the Normandy and then follow to back my team up. Let's move people!" Shepard started as the group split up and headed to assist in the respective battles.

* * *

Anko didn't know why she was rushing off to help 'pinky' when it should be her helping Naruto. When she was captured by that bastard Kabuto she figured she was good as dead. But Naruto never gave up and she even found out he went against orders to help her because, as only Naruto would put it 'you are my friend' as if that explained it all. That was what made her decide to request to have him work with her after the war for six months while she secretly trained him at the same time. A debt had to be repaid and at the time she thought that making sure he was ready to be kage was enough. From then on the kid grew on her like he did with everyone else and now it was at the point where she wouldn't dare imagine life without him.

Unlike everyone else in the village when this whole ordeal with these off worlders started, Anko knew that Naruto would come back after he took care of business. He was too much like her, he had no where else to go and Konoha was his home.

But now was not the time to dwell on that as she needed to concentrate on the task at hand –help Sakura against whomever or whatever she was fighting. Reaching out a bit, she could sense the pink haired girl's chakra as well as chakra from something else. It didn't feel right, felt artificial, almost fake and not like real chakra.

"We're getting close," Anko told her companion who was able to keep up with her while also being smart enough to keep quiet.

"Yes, I can sense the power of the other one with the girl," Samara answered before stating, "You should not worry, we will quickly assist her and then go and help the child against his foe."

Not stopping but looking back, Anko wondered if the blue skinned woman was a mind reader.

"Worry not, the child speaks highly of you, Anko," Samara started with a small smile. "You are very important to him. He holds you in high regard."

Anko didn't reply. She didn't have to but it was still nice to know. He made her feel wanted and needed during their time together when they were hunting the last of those that served the Akatsuki over those months.

That's how she knew she was his always favorite 'Nee-chan'.

That was when she spotted the woods up ahead clearing. Looking back at the Justicar, Anko just nodded as they broke through the trees and came upon the ridge near the statues. That was when they spotted Sakura and another woman fighting. That woman looked like Commander Shepard to Samara.

"What the hell?" Anko blurted out as the pair that was fighting stopped and noticed the new arrivals. Sakura immediately threw a few smoke bombs at her opponent before using a Shunshin to join the newly arrived pair.

"Why are you fighting the Commander?" Samara asked in a near harsh tone, which surprised Sakura a bit.

"That's not the Taichou, that's Kelly-san," Sakura explained, "and she's been altered by Kabuto to use Chakra and look like Taichou."

"She also looks like…"Anko started but was cut off by Sakura.

"She thinks she is Naruto mother," Drawing confused expressions by both. "She's become dangerously obsessed with Naruto and wants to kill us all and have him to herself."

Shaking her head, Anko just let out a low whistle, "so the kid's got another Psycho after him eh?"

That was when they saw Kelly jump up in front of them and rear back ready to punch but she didn't get far as Samara used her power to levitate Kelly off the ground as Sakura reared back and punched Kelly, knocking her back across the way to the other statue.

"Nice punch pinky," Anko complimented before she pulled a Kunai and jumped across the statue to attack. Landing on the other side she quickly sprinted and with a quick slice hit Kelly's stomach but was surprised that her Kunai broke and heard a loud clang. _So the bitch is armored eh? No wonder she's giving pinky trouble._

Another sound alerted Anko as she turned and saw Samara floating over with Sakura on her back and touching down with Kelly in the middle.

"So, you all intended to get in between me and my love eh?" Kelly started to shout, " then I'll just kill you all!" she shouted as she was again hit by one of Samara's biotic attacks and knocked to the ground.

"Calm yourself Yeoman. There is no need for this battle," Samara started, "allow us to help you as you've been twisted by those who aim to commit evil and injustice."

Laughing, Kelly stood up and looked right at Samara with her altered eyes that actually glowed blue for a second, "Twisted? TWISTED? Twisted like I was by all of you when you all laughed at me for trying to love the one person I actually cared about?"

"Enough of this shit," Anko said and raised her arm, "Sen'eijashu!" she shouted as a group of snakes came out of her arm and coiled around Kelly and trapped her.

"Pinky, would you mind taking her out please?" Anko said in a bored tone.

With a smile Sakura rushed forward and delivered a punch to Kelly's jaw that knocked her right to the ground as the snaked poofed out of existence. The last thing Kelly saw because her world faded to black with Anko peering over her and giving her an eerie smile.

"In what universe did you think you were actually good enough for my Otouto?"

* * *

Kakashi rushed as fast as he could as he raced to the battle between his former charges. He had come to a decision long ago and feared that today was the day he would have to follow through – he would end Sasuke's life. The problem was that every time he tried to pull away he felt that energy of Shepard's or the other woman Jack pull him back.

"What's with you anyway?" Tali asked. "There's no need for you to rush in alone."

"They're my students. I should be the one ending this. It shouldn't even be at this," he started, voice full of regret. "I taught Sasuke that initial Jutsu so it's up to me to end this. Not Naruto."

"It's not your fault that Sasuke was messed up," Shepard started before she explained. "We've all seen the file on him. He was a walking time bomb that was bound to go off."

"and that's the thing, I should have seen it." Kakashi added as he grew frustrated that he was sharing more with this group then he did with people in years…

"So? We're not all perfect," Tali stated.

"But…"

"She's right. We'll just kick the pricks ass and then you can talk to him about your regrets and shit later," Jack jumped in, ready to help out one of her few friends in his time of need.

"Give it up Kakashi, you're outnumbered on this one," Shepard stated plainly. "Let's just get there and work on helping Naruto. Then you can worry about dealing with your regrets."

Reaching the edge of the tree line the group watched as the pair of Shinobi were still fighting on the water as Kakashi motioned them to move down the rock face while he lifted up his forehead protected to reveal his Sharingan eye.

Reaching the small inland part in the valley, Kakashi made their presences known, though he guessed the pair knew already.

"Sasuke!" he shouted out to the water, "End this now and come quietly."

Stopping for a second, the Uchiha turned and sneered before he took off in a sprint right at his former sensei.

From above Legion appeared and began shooting but Sasuke was moving too fast and threw a Kunai with an explosive tag at the Geth striking its rifle and causing an explosion before jumping at Kakashi and vanishing.

_Shit, I've lost him_ Kakashi thought in panic before his Sharingan could follow Sasuke's movements.

Then reappearing behind him, the Uchiha delivered a chakra enhanced side kick that launched his former sensei at the pursuing Naruto and causing both to fall into the water while he turned to deal with the incoming Normandy crew. Reaching behind his back Sasuke produced two more Kunai and threw one at Jack, hitting her in the forearm and knocking the woman back before blocking Shepard's Biotic enhanced punch and throwing her at Jack before using the other Kunai to strike at Tali.

Much to Sasuke's surprise, the Quarian blocked the move. He followed with some punches and kicks and was shocked, though he didn't show it, that this girl was actually doing a decent job of keeping up with him. What bothered him more, was that his Sharingan couldn't predict her movements very well. _Must be her blasted suit_ he surmised as he Sharingan could read her body movements well.

"Impressive," he spoke for the first time since the group had engaged him, "perhaps I shall spare you and give you the honor of helping revive the Uchiha clan?"

"Sorry, can't do that," she replied and then caught him by surprise with a punch that knocked him back. "I'm already panning to help revive another clan."

Staring right at her, he decided to use his eyes to do his fighting but oddly nothing was happening. Shaking her head, Tali just pointed to her mask.

"This can filter out all sorts of light and other things, like you eyes for instance," She explained, "The right adjustment and I can't see them at all."

Sasuke realized that this one was as much of a danger to him and his plans as Naruto was. He also made a mental note to wipe out these Quarians when he was done here. He knew if one was trouble then the race of them truly were a danger.

Channeling some chakra into his Kunai, he used his speed and got right up on Tali in an instant before he sliced on an upward motion and ripped open her chest.

"TALI!" Shepard shouted as Jack again attacked with her biotics and managed to knock the Uchiha away before trying to punch and kick the bastard.

"RAWR!" was all that came from Jack but Sasuke was able to out maneuver her and toss her back into the valley wall. Shepard drew her pistol and took a pair of shots at Sasuke but he just merely dodged the shots.

"So you're the one who has caused all this trouble," he addressed the commander. "Now I see why Kabuto thought it would be a good idea to change that one to look like you."

Shepard did the wrong thing and looked directly into his eyes.

"Now you will truly face seventy-two hours of hell…" Sasuke announced is a satisfied tone.

This time the Sharingan did its job and overloaded the commander's mind with images of hers and her crew's deaths along with Naruto's. She fell to the ground in a heap.

Just as Sasuke was about to finish off the prone red head he felt a spike of killing intent and barely managed to dodge Anko's attack. Looking behind he saw a blue skinned woman and Sakura tending to the girl he downed moments ago.

_Doesn't matter, they will all die. Every last one of them will die for what was taken from me._

* * *

Sakura arrived at the scene and could tell already that things didn't go as well as it had for her team. As much as she wanted to get into the fight she was a medic first and knew she had to help tend to the wounded while Anko engaged their enemy.

She also didn't pay attention to the fact that Naruto was out of sight.

"Child, we must tend to Tali, she is in grave danger," Samara said in a calm yet urgent voice.

"Right," the girl answered as they raced over to the downed Quarian and Sakura began healing her.

"Can you patched the rip in her suit?" the medic asked to the Justicar

"I will be able to though usually this sort of damaged would be fatal to a Quarian."

Sakura actually gave a small laugh before replying, "Tali is a lot tougher than she looks plus she's been treated to be able to be exposed for a while. I'm not ready to write her off yet."

"That's good to hear though I think the Commander is out of action as well," Jack said while holding her forearm with the Kunai embedded in it while Samara made and applied the patch to the ripped suit.

"Samara-san, can you get the commander and bring her over here while Anko keeps him busy?"

A nod from the Asari and she went off to try and get to the downed Shepard.

"Where's Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked while trying to concentrate on healing her friend/co lover.

"He got knocked into the water." Jack answered, "Though he hasn't surfaced yet."

"Just means he's planning something…"

* * *

Reaching the other side of the lake Naruto dragged Kakashi out and placed his commander on the land.

"Sasuke must have really put something into that kick to get the better of you Sensei," Naruto commented even though he knew that Kakashi was out of the action.

Looking back to the fighting he could see Anko giving him a good fight. He also spotted a blot of pink which told him that Sakura had survived her fight with Kelly. _Thank goodness_.

That was when he watched Sasuke use his Chidori Nagashi to take out Jack, Anko and Samara at the same time leaving Sakura vulnerable to him as she was obviously healing the injured.

Concentrating on a point he located the kunai that was embedded in the rock on that side and with a blink he flashed over there just in time to appear in front of Sasuke, much to the Uchiha's surprise.

"Round two teme," Naruto said with a smirk as he caught the Uchiha off guard with a kick of his own and sent Sasuke flying into the water.

Looking over at Sakura he just gave the girl a small smile, seeing her now healing Shepard, as he turned back to the water as he formed a Rasengan and saw that Sasuke was already preparing a Chidori.

_So it comes down to this once again? _He thought as they both rushed at each other and the impact of their jutsu's formed the dome of energy in the middle of the water.

* * *

Shepard awoke to find a nearly out of breath Sakura checking her over.

"You ok Taichou?" the girl asked, clearly pushing her limit.

"I am thank you, how's everyone else?"

"Tali had the worst of the injuries but she's safe for now but we have to get her back to the village as soon as possible. The rest is mostly minor," Sakura reported.

Sitting up Shepard just shook her head to clear the cobwebs while asking, "Where's the enemy?"

"He's over…" but before Sakura could finished her answer, Jack in her normal way, answered for all.

"What the hell is that?" Looking at the black dome like sphere in the middle of the water.

"Sakura, tell me this isn't something bad," Shepard asked.

"It can be," She answered with concern in her voice, "it's them fighting it out and we just have to wait."

_Don't be too soft with him Naruto, _Sakura thought to herself, _Not this time_

* * *

Inside the sphere, Naruto looked across the white space to see Sasuke standing there.

"We have to end it this time," he told his former friend, "We can't go on like this forever. There are bigger things than this. I would like my brother at my side."

"I know, but there is no going back now," Sasuke replied. "One will stand and one will fall."

"I just wanted to say, it didn't have to end this way," Naruto said, resigned to what he would have to do. "I'm sorry Sasuke."

"I know." replied the Uchiha in an accepting voice, "You wouldn't be much of a kage if you were not sorry."

And then everything began to fade.

* * *

The sphere began to crack and then there was a small explosion as Sasuke's body came flying out and slammed into the side of the rock face. The sphere itself caused the water to evaporate and created mist around the area making it difficult to see.

Leaning against the wall Sasuke knew he was beaten, his chakra nearly gone and he was injured thanks to the Rasengan strike to his stomach. He heard footsteps coming towards him and barely opened his eyes and caught the form of Naruto walking up through the mist.

"So, now you'll have to finish me off…" Sasuke said with venom in his voice.

"No, I won't kill you," Naruto replied despite seeing his eyes turning red and silted and telling Sasuke of the internal fight his former friend was having with his tenant.

Chuckling, Sasuke realized that Naruto was stuck, "You have to or else I'll just recover and try again." Before coughing up some blood, "but if you don't, you'll break your promise and so goes your 'way of the ninja'."

Taking a breath, Naruto just shook his head and turned as Sasuke starting yelling at him. "I knew you didn't have the guts. You don't have what it takes to be a Hokage."

Stopping, Naruto just looked over his shoulder, "Sasuke. I will keep my promise to Sakura-chan and Ino and not kill you." And then he started walking away again before fading into the mist, "but that doesn't mean I have to save you."

Sasuke didn't understand until he heard a clicking sound and just was able to look up to see Shepard standing above him with her pistol pointed at his head.

"You will never hurt my boy or anyone ever again."

And with a single shot, the last of the Uchiha had fallen.

* * *

Author's notes: and so after what felt like so long here we are at chapter 25. This was originally the last chapter but after the fight and getting to the point where I ended it I felt that I've taken everyone through too much to have it going. You all need to stop, reflect and take stock of what just happened so the end of the story will be pushed into the next chapter. Yep, one more to go.

Not much else to comment upon. For those who don't realize it – Kelly will be explained a bit more in the next chapter but right now I can tell you it's not the Edo Tensei. I know a few were thinking that but it's nothing like that. Remember, Kelly was still "alive" when Kabuto saw her.

I know I've left the fate of a few up in the air (Tali and Legion specifically) but that will also be cleared in the next chapter. For now, you can spend the next week trying to find out if they live or die.

Translations:

Kanton: Gokakyu no Jutsu – loosely translates to "Great fireball technique" and is a jutsu that was developed by the Uchiha clan which allowed them to take chakra and convert it into a fireball. A signature of Uchiha Sasuke.

Suiton: Suijinheki – loosely means "Water Wall" and is a defensive jutsu which surrounds the user with water to protect them from an attack.

Chidori – The only original jutsu developed by Hakate Kakashi it is said to sound like chirping birds, thus it's name which translates to "1000 chirping birds". Was later taught to Uchiha Sasuke with the intention to be used to aid and protect his teammates but Sasuke used it to his own ends.

Chidori Eiso – developed by Uchiha Sasuke, this variation of the Chidori takes the electrical and concentrates it into a spear like form giving it a long attack range.

Chidori Nagashi - developed by Uchiha Sasuke, this variation of the Chidori that releases the electrical current in all directions allowed the user to attack many targets at once. Can be viewed as a both offensive and defensive technique.

Sen'eijashu – loosely meaning "shadow snake hands" this technique allowed the user to launch snakes from their arm as the user makes a punching like motion and allowed for a long range attack.

Otouto – little brother.

teme - bastard

There you have it.

Thanks for reading and see you next time for the final chapter!


	26. Chapter 26

Naruto Effect

Chapter 26

* * *

Kakashi couldn't help but have a feeling of Déjà-vu as he was being healed by his student while the girl was scolding him at the same time.

"Geez Kakashi-sensei, one kick and it takes you out? I thought you were a special Jonin?" Sakura chided and joked with her former sensei.

All he could do is groan like he did when Tsunade healed him after he succumbed to Itachi's Tsukuyomi all those years ago.

"Any injuries?"

"Tali is the worse off but she's stable for now though we need to get her back to the village as soon as we can move. She's still in danger," Sakura noted in what Kakashi had grown to recognize as the girls 'very concerned' voice, "The rest are just bumps and bruises with Naruto suffering from the obvious chakra exhaustion."

"What happened to Sasuke?" he asked to his student, "Did Naruto kill him?"

He knew that someone finished off Sasuke as he could not detect any hint of his Chakra and there was no way the Uchiha would have back off and fled. Not now and not at this point.

"Naruto did beat him but," and he saw as the medic paused for a few seconds, probably trying to keep herself composed, "Shepard Taichou finished it."

That caught the copy-nin off guard. He didn't expect the red headed woman to directly enter the combat much less be the one to finish off the rouge nin. _Then again she's almost as unpredictable as Naruto at times. _

"Sensei, let's go back and see everyone," Sakura started to break his musing. "I'm sure they want to see that you're fine as we get ready to leave."

With a nod and a Shunshin the pair poofed from one side to the other and rejoined the group. When he arrived he surveyed the scene. First he saw Naruto leaning on a rock with Tali in his armed as the girl was clearly asleep. She noticed that Anko was chatting away with the one called Jack and the blue skinned woman. He finally noticed Shepard, standing off on her own and looking out onto the water, probably dealing with the aftermath of what she did.

Of course Kakashi didn't have to look hard to notice Sasuke's body slumped against the valley wall, blood stain to one side showing from which direction the gunshot came from that killed him, confirmed it was one of the off worlder's weapons that did it.

He watched Sakura head off to attend to Tali and Naruto and decided that it was the best time to talk to the woman who was standing on her own.

As he walked over to her, he tried to figure out what to say. This was different than even teaching as the woman was a professional soldier so she already knew about how to deal with killing but still, it must be different for her having to kill one Sasuke's age, especially given how close she had become with Naruto.

Of course he got beat to the punch when it came to speaking.

"Are you mad at me for killing your student?" she asked, not turning to look at him.

"No," Kakashi replied, uncomfortable with the direction of the talk. "I was going to ask if you're alright."

"I'll deal, even if it was just a kid," she answered.

"Still, you shouldn't have done it, it should have been me."

It was then that he did something very uncharacteristic for him as he walked up from behind and wrapped her into an embrace.

"What are you doing?" she asked but not fighting it.

"Taking a page out of Naruto's book again," he replied.

Kakashi heard her chuckle but felt her lean in.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't sit back as he was goading Naruto into becoming like him. Naruto doesn't need any more blood then he has on his hands especially that of a former member of his squad."

"I understand. The Sasuke we knew died long ago," the copy nin answered as he just held her as they both looked out over the water. He then let her go and began to walk back to the group.

"Give me a minute and I'll come back," she said as he continued to walk back, letting her gather whatever it was that she was dealing with.

Rejoining the group, Samara looked over as asked a question.

"What should we do with the body?" she asked in reference to the remains of the Uchiha, "Are there any ritual or rites that need to be carried out?"

"Team seven will dispose of it," Kakashi announced with a louder voice than he was using as he got both Sakura's and Naruto's attention. The pair stood up, carefully moving Tali as she was still unconscious and walked over to join their former jonin Sensei. Kakashi then turned to Anko and gave a quick nod which she returned in understanding.

"Ok people, nothing to see here, let's give them some space," Anko called while waving her arms to move the Normandy crew away form the area to give Team Seven the privacy they wanted.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack asked, confused and annoyed at being bossed around.

"They want to say goodbye in their own way to their teammate," was the answer given as Anko turned back to see Kakashi use a Kanton Jutsu on the body as the three remaining members of the original team seven began to pray over the flames.

Thinking of team members, Shepard suddenly realized something

"Has anyone seen Legion since the fight?"

* * *

After scaling the rock face of the valley wall, the collected group of ladies began their search for the missing Geth. It didn't take long to trace its whereabouts from the point of the explosion that took the Geth out of the fight.

"Found him!" Anko shouted out while looking down at the body. "He looks totally trashed too."

Shepard walked over, followed by the others as she inspected the Geth. Most of the damaged seemed to be located around Legion's head area and his single eye had a crack in it while part of his body looked to have taken damaged from the shrapnel that came with the exploding kunai after the tag was ignited.

"Legion… Legion," Shepard called as she reached down and shook the Geth. "You still with us?"

They watched as the eye started to light up and the little flips around it start to move.

"Shepard-commander, I still function," Legion stated. "But I have suffered some damaged."

"We should be able to have you fixed up," Shepard told the Geth. "Can you stand?" she finished as she extended her hand to her teammate.

"Indeed, the Geth will be analyzing this battle data for quite some time."

"Don't worry, Red head here put down that little bastard so you won't have to worry about him ever again," Anko chimed in.

"That is excellent news. Thank you Sexy-Anko," the Geth replied earning some raised eyebrows from the rest of the collected group.

Turning back to the purple haired woman, Shepard simply asked "Sexy-Anko?"

The leather coat special jonin just tried giving an innocent smile and shrugged her shoulders at the question.

Before anyone could say anything more, the roar of the engines from the other shuttle got their attention as Ashley Williams was waving at them from the shuttle door as their ride back to Konoha had arrived.

* * *

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy awoke to find herself staring up at a white ceiling. This didn't spook her. What was scaring her was that she realized very quickly that she was completely out of her environmental suit. There was a moment where she actually panicked before she calmed herself and started to think. Being out of her suit only meant one thing to the Quarian, the one thing she had been told since she was old enough to hear her parents speak to her – she died during the fight and has now awoken in the afterlife.

That was the general idea until she realized she was also wearing a hospital gown. _Ok, this gown doesn't make sense. Why would I wear a hospital gown if I'm dead?_

Her thoughts began racing, trying to figure out an answer until a familiar voice got her attention.

"I see you've finally woken up," came the voice of the godaime hokage, Tsunade who was standing nearby while looking over her chart. "How do you feel?"

Tsunade had heard from both her pink haired apprentience and Naruto about Tali's beauty but being told and seeing it herself were two different things.

_She could give all the girls in the village, including me with my genjutsu, a run for their money if she didn't have to stay in her suit all the time._

"Umm…fine I guess, though I don't think I'll last long without my suit," Tali admitted knowing that while it's nice to be outside her suit that she was probably dying, so they must have given her a chance to be outside it for her remaining moments. "How long do I have till I pass?"

"Pass? You're not dying or anything," Tsunade answered while waving her hand and then started to explain to the Quarian. "You my dear are much tougher and stronger than you give yourself credit for. Add to that the treatment Sakura gave you and even the doctors among your people would be surprised about how strong your immune system is right now. In case you've forgotten, you've got five of the best medical minds I've known, myself included, on your side and here now to help you."

Tsunade then smiled and raised her hand and with a small flick what appeared to be nothing but air began to glow blue as Tali discovered that she and her bed was completely surrounded on all sides by what she guessed was a chakra field.

"We've also placed you in a completely sterile environment while your suit is repaired and we tend to your injuries. You're not the first with a compromised immune system we've dealt with before."

Tali could have sworn she heard the leader of the village giggle but she didn't care. She never would have believed she could be outside her suit much less be safe outside of it. Her mind began to race with the possibilities that this could mean for her and her people.

"You seem to be doing well so I'll be back to check on you later, though if you're up for it, Sakura would like a word with you."

"Yes, thank you," Tali said as she rubbed her arm and felt odd feeling her own arm with her own hand. "Thank you for everything..."

With a smile and a nod, Tsunade turned and left as Sakura came in and grabbed a nearby chair and sat down.

"Thank you for helping me Sakura," Tali started before the girl could speak.

"It was my pleasure Tali," Sakura answered happily. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is that?"

"Well, it's an idea that Naruto and I had and we wanted to run it by you before we asked anyone else."

"Where is he anyway? Tali asked, not used to the sound of her own voice minus her suit.

"Shepard-Taichou took him up to the Normandy to help her deal with something."

* * *

The person who was known as "the Illusive Man" was known to be patient. He had to be with his plans not only for Cerberus but for humanity as a whole. That said, he still had not heard from Shepard after she opted to destroy the Collector base at the Galactic core. He knew it had something to do with those Shinobi and while he wouldn't let it on, if one was running rogue, then it could be a threat to his plans given how powerful they proved to be.

If only he could find some that would work for him…

It was then that the Holographic-communicator from the Normandy requested a connection.

"Ah Shepard about time you…" but he stopped when he noticed it wasn't Shepard staring at him. No, it was someone he hadn't expected to speak to face to face for a while yet.

It was Uzumaki Naruto, the famed 'Gethslayer'.

"Ah, Naruto. I was hoping we'd get to chat at some point," he greeted the young man in front of him. "You may address me as "illusive man" if need be," the man finished as he stood up form his chair and walked forward towards the holographic image.

"Save it," came the reply from Naruto. "Let's cut the crap and stop trying to fool each other."

"Now, now young man, no need to be hostile," Illusive man started. "We are all on the same side after all…"

"Are we?" Naruto spoke in a mocking tone. "If we were, then why has my village been attacked after someone started spreading rumors about me and my people."

The illusive man knew that this young man had a temper, hell he could see it in the young blonde's eyes that this wasn't an idle chit-chat. Still, better keep the young man on his side for now, last thing he needed was to lose a valuable asset over an emotional response to a tactical maneuver.

"I admit that perhaps that was not the best move but at that point in time we needed all the help we could get and I needed to make sure our enemies knew that you were out there," he stated before lighting his cigarette and taking a puff. "While I regret the loss of life your people suffered, they have also proven that they can be great allies and that is something we all will need. The Reapers are coming and now they're coming for you and your people as well as everyone else in the galaxy."

He watched the young man in front of him shake his head before he reached behind his back and hold up what appeared to be a scroll.

"And that's the exact type of answer I should expect from you," Naruto started with a look in his eyes that made the Illusive man realize why this young man was one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. "You have been deemed as a threat by my village and my hokage has decided that you must be dealt with for the safety of our people."

Getting angry, the Illusive man raised his voice as he responded to this. "Now wait just a damn a minute Naruto. You need me just as much as I need you. You can't threaten me at this point. Not now, not with the Reapers on their way."

"Oh, this isn't a threat. Hunter-nin teams will be catching a ride with Shepard-Taichou and from there they will begin the task to hunt you down and deal with you." And then Naruto gave a small smile, "and I'm sure other villages will be joining suit once they hear about this."

The Illusive Man could only stare at the young man while he tried to come up with a response.

"Oh, and if you think about trying to use Shepard-Taichou or anyone else on the Normandy as a means to stop this then I'll come after you personally and you know I will get to you," Naruto said and then finished the conversation with a single statement. "Let's see how 'Illusive' you really are now that you've got hunter-nins after you."

And at that point the holographic communication ended and the Illusive man could only sit back in his chair and ponder his next move.

After-all, there had to be a way he could use this turn in his plans for humanity.

* * *

Walking out of the Briefing room, Naruto saw Shepard standing there waiting for him.

"How'd it go?" she asked as she purposely stayed out of this one.

"Went as good as one could expect Kaasan," he replied to the commander, not fully realzing what he had just called the Commander. "I just wish Tusnade-baachan didn't want to go this far," he finished in a somewhat regretful tone.

"I'm sure when you eventually sit in her chair you'll have to make the same decisions," the commander answered him before smiling and looking at him. "So I get upgraded to 'mom" now?"

Naruto just stood there and began his usual nervous tick of scratching the back of his head with his hand, "Ya well, I know you aren't her but you are like one to me and well…"

"It's alright. I'm glad you think of me as such," Shepard replied. "But just know that just because I look like her that I'm not her. I'm me, Jane Shepard and not Uzumaki Kushina."

"Hai Hai," Naruto replied with a mock salute.

That was when Shepard walked closer to him and hugged him. It lasted for a minute or two and then she did something else.

Grabbing him in a headlock, she began to question him on something that she wanted to ask for the last little while.

"So now you're going to tell your 'mom' why you've hooked up with two women at once."

"Ow ow ow ow!" Naruto cried out as he wondered if maybe she really was more like his birth mother and Sakura-chan.

_They're all angry and violent._

"WHAT WAS THAT YOUNG MAN?"

* * *

That evening in the village, there was a celebration taking place with the team from the Normandy joining in the festivities. It turned out to be a celebration for a pair of reasons, the first and foremost being their victory over the Collector;s and the second was a bit of a surprise for Naruto and Shepard when they returned.

It was a celebration because Tsunade had officially named her successor and the next Hokage of the village. It came to no surprise to anyone from Konoha who was named though it did catch Naruto off guard. After-all, it was his life long dream that had evolved from simple acknowledgement to becoming the person to protect and to guide his people towards a path of peace.

Yet he still couldn't believe that it was him who was named the next Hokage.

Jane Shepard just stood beside Tsunade and was happy to see that the people from her crew were getting along with the various people here. She watched as Ashley and Tali were talking with Sakura and some of the med-nin's friends, Kasumi doing the same with some of the older Shinobi and Grunt taking part in various Shinobi strength activities yet she could see the Krogan was enjoying himself.

"I guess this means you won't let me take him with me when we go?" Shepard commented to the Slug Sannin with a small smile. She really did want Naruto to become a permanent member of her crew but Shepard knew that taking him away now wasn't right.

"Only if he turns it down," Tsunade responded. "Which is highly unlikely."

"It's going to be different now isn't it?" Tsunade commented while she looked up to the stars above, "I know the other villages will want access as well and people like that Alliance will want to open trade with us?"

"I believe so but that doesn't mean you have to change everything." The Commander replied, "Just means the world just got a bit bigger for you."

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Tsunade excused herself to speak to a few of the officials who were in attendance. Despite their disagreements over some things, mostly related to Naruto, Shepard liked the older woman. It was then she found a drink being held in front of her by a gloved hand.

Taking it, Shepard merely looked to her left and knew who brought her the drink but couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed in the person who gave it to her.

"I hope this isn't what you meant by 'taking me out for a drink'?" she addressed to Kakashi in an annoyed tone.

Chuckling as the she took a sip of the sake Kakashi replied in his usual playful manner. "Well seeing as you are leaving shortly, I didn't know if you had the time," he began. "Plus I didn't expect you would be holding me to it."

There was more silence as the pair just watched as an impromptu dance broke out as members of her crew and the villagers all took part with music being played.

_Ah, the hell with it _Shepard thought to herself while looking over the man beside her again.

"Do you live nearby?" she asked.

"Uhh, yes, my apartment is about a block away," Kakashi answered, not sure why she was asking. "Why did you want to know?"

That was when she turned and looked him right in the eye.

"Let's go," she said simply and evenly.

"Umm…right now?"

"Yes Kakashi, right now," as she grabbed him by the arm and started to get him moving.

_I hate to think what she would have in store if we went for dinner…_was the last thought Kakashi had as he walked away with the red headed commander.

* * *

It was a few days later as things within the village began to return to normal; it was about time for the Normandy to get back on their mission. The first shuttle with most of the crew plus the hunter-nins that Tsunade had assigned for their mission was already headed up. The hunters were not a part of her crew, Shepard was just asked to give them a ride to the closest station and let them begin their mission.

Even Jack noted she wouldn't want to mess with the Hunter-nin's given how they looked with the white masks and robes.

_I'll be curious if they do find him_ Shepard thought as the shuttle to land to take her and Tali back to the Normandy. Looking around again she had come to like this village and knew she would be back many times again and she looked back and saw Naruto, Sakura, Tali, Tsunade, Kakashi and many of the other Shinobi gathered to see her off.

It definitely made her regret having to leave.

"Commander Shepard," came the voice of Tali addressing the commander.

"Are you ready to go Tali?" Shepard asked but noticed that Tali wasn't prepared.

"I've decided to stay for a bit longer," the Quarian answered. "I want to help set up the communication system for here and the Normandy, plus I've got other reasons to stay," Tali finished looking away as she reached out and took hold of Naruto's hand while he had Sakura holding onto his other arm.

Shaking her head, she walked up to her Quarian friend and just hugged her before asking again, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes Shepard, this is what I want," Tali replied and affirmed again her wishes.

"I guess I have a reason to come back sooner than later."

Nodding, Shepard turned and walked towards the shuttle before looking at Tsunade, "Make sure they behave."

"I'll do my best," Tsunade said with a smile. "Just know that you and your crew have a safe place here. I'm sure the gaki will honor it too."

Nodding again, Shepard then looked at Kakashi. Without speaking she just smiled at the man and knew her eyes relayed what she wanted to say to him.

_Don't die, we're not done yet._

That was when she walked up to Naruto as Sakura and Tali both backed away to talk with Tsunade briefly and to give them some privacy.

"So, this is it?" Naruto started, trying to hide the fact that he wasn't happy about Shepard leaving.

"Yep, I won't be around for a bit to save your sorry butt," the commander replied jokingly as she reached out and ruffled his hair, much to the young mans annoyance. She then closed the gap and pulled him into a hug before whispering into his ear.

"Take care of yourself and be a good leader," she started. "I will be back to check up on you to make sure you're behaving."

"I will Kaasan," was all he could say, trying to keep the tears from forming. "if you need me just call and I'll come with as many Shinobi as you need."

Releasing the hug, Shepard began to walk into the shuttle before saying. "I'll keep that in mind but first promise me something."

"Sure thing," Naruto said with a smile.

"Make sure I get an invite to the wedding," she said as she watched him, along with Sakura and probably Tali all blush at the mention of 'wedding.'

Reaching the shuttle door and stepping inside, she turned around and addressed the Shinobi.

"I'll be seeing you soon."

And with that the door to the shuttle closed, it lifted off to head back to the Normandy as Shepard took her seat inside the shuttle.

She wouldn't let anyone see that she was crying.

* * *

In deep space outside of the known galaxy, several objects began to power up as lights began to turn on and they began to move again. The Reapers were preparing to return to the Galaxy and consume all organic life again just as they'd done many many times in the past over the last 50,000 years.

This time, one Reaper in particular was replaying a message it got from it's vessel within the galaxy. Not a message but a threat and a promise. While normally these idle threats from organics were dismissed, the one called Harbinger couldn't dismiss this one after seeing what this organic was capable of.

"_I'll be waiting and ready for you and your machine bastards."_

Harbinger then knew where its first destination would be when they all began to cull the galaxy

_**Uzumaki Naruto. I shall enjoy consuming you…**_

* * *

Author's Note:What is this? Another update so soon. It's a weird case of GT clearing both 25 and 26 at once and me finally getting the time to sit down and go over her notes for 26 as the original plan was a double update to finish out the story but I got caught up in other stuff and only managed to get 25 out. So consider this a late "Black Friday" special and enjoy.

And so here we are my friends, the end of the story. I admit, it's not really much as it's still too "happy" for the end of the last chapter which was why I broke it off and expanded the general ideas into their own chapter. So, the big question is 'why did you go with everyone living?". My answer is simple and lame at the same time – it seemed weird if I did anything else. I had a version where legion died and it felt like I was killing him for the sake of killing him. I had a version where Tali didn't make it but that was depressing and very much ruined the flow of the story. So I went with this, everyone lived and in the end Tali stays in Konoha for a bit. It gives me something to work with if I opted to do a sequel or a side story.

The ending I was never fully happy with and went back and forth for a bit on the idea of Harbinger making a clone body of Naruto or Sasuke for it to use or even going out there with the idea of Sasuke and Kabuto releasing Orochimaru from that Genjutsu Itachi put him in but GT felt (and rightfully so) they were all clichéd ideas. So the end is where I put it and I hope its good enough that I tied up the loose ends but left everyone with enough to want to come back should I do a sequel. There should be enough little things there to make it at least worthwhile.

And that leads to the big question – sequel. I will say that I won't rule it out and I have a few ideas but right now until we see how both the story of Naruto goes and how Mass effect 3 turns out I can't say for sure what will happen. I may do a few side stories to cover the DLC that came out for Mass effect 2 but even that's not concrete yet. I kinda want to write something else away from the "Naruto effect" universe for a bit before jumping into it again.

And that's should be it.

So to all those who were with this from the very beginning, to those who disliked it and voice their opinion, to those who assisted me with my many many errors and to those who have recently found this and enjoy it – Thank you for coming on this ride with me.

and a very very big thanks to GT whose critical eye and writing talent really helped me in the areas I'm weak in and kept me on the straight and narrow as best she could and whom I could not have done this without. Now do a good thing for her and go read her stories.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next story!


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